American Airlines Cargo was the first US-passenger carrier to receive FAA approval in October for use of the Envirotainer e2 unit—a valuable addition to the full suite of Envirotainer products already offered to customers. Now, American has become the first U.S.-based passenger carrier to officially transport an Envirotainer e2 unit.
Two of these temperature-controlled containers, which require FAA approval before use, were successfully moved from London Heathrow (LHR) to Philadelphia (PHL), carrying hypercholesterolemia treatments that require careful temperature control to ensure the stabilization of the product's efficacy.
"This shipment is just the beginning. Going forward, we expect a variety of large, new shipments that require the advanced temperature-control capabilities of the Envirotainer e2 unit. With our customers and partners, we’re making huge strides in evolving and improving on the temperature-control supply chain," said Tom Grubb, manager of cold chain strategy at American Airlines.
American partnered with Marken, a top customer and global leader in supply chain logistics in the life sciences industry, to ensure the e2 units were delivered securely. After recovering this product from the customer’s facility in a temperature-controlled vehicle, the vehicle traveled directly back to the Cargo facility, where the Envirotainer units were ready for loading. The containers were loaded at Heathrow's facility as quickly as possible, at around 30 seconds per container, and were then screened and logged before being put on the Airbus A330 to PHL.
About American Airlines Group
American Airlines offers customers 6,800 daily flights to more than 365 destinations in 61 countries from its hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. With a shared purpose of caring for people on life's journey, American's 130,000 global team members serve more than 200 million customers annually. Since 2013, American has invested more than $28 billion in its product and people and now flies the youngest fleet among U.S. network carriers, equipped with industry-leading high-speed Wi-Fi, lie-flat seats, and more inflight entertainment and access to power. American also has enhanced food and beverage options in the air and on the ground in its world-class Admirals Club and Flagship lounges. American was recently named a Five Star Global Airline by the Airline Passenger Experience Association and Airline of the Year by Air Transport World. American is a founding member of oneworld®, whose members serve 1,100 destinations in 180 countries and territories. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL and the company's stock is included in the S&P 500. Learn more about what's happening at American by visiting news.aa.com and connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines.
