Top 13 Gerard Arpey Quotes

We have, unlike many of our competitors, continued to meet our various financial obligations.

But I don’t think the popularity of flying has diminished a bit.

However, the economics of our business continued to deteriorate. We barely escaped bankruptcy a year ago, and in the aftermath of that escape we had to make some even tougher decisions.

One of our most difficult realizations was that – in the course of two years – a connecting hub in St. Louis had gone from something we thought we needed to something we could no longer afford.

At American Airlines, we have built a business around the love of travel that has lasted three quarters of a century. And I’m pretty sure we’re just getting started.

We continued the hard work of integrating TWA, because at that time we still thought an efficient connecting hub in St. Louis could be a profitable addition to our network.

We need to take excellent care of our customers, and do so at a profit.

That doesn’t mean you have to have the lowest costs in the industry to succeed. But you need to make sure the activities and product attributes that increase your costs above the other guy bring in at least that much more in revenue, and hopefully more.

Markets that don’t work we’re going to step away from.

The executive moves we are announcing today will strengthen American for the long-term future and reflect well on the depth of the Company‘s management team.

Just to cover the increase in fuel costs over the past two years, American would have had to raise fares nearly $75 per round-trip ticket. During this time period, our average fare increased by only $15.

Our Fly Smart philosophy is about investing only on those points of differentiation that pay for themselves, that earn a revenue premium commensurate with what it costs us to provide that product or service.

This airline is grateful for his extensive contributions and we will miss his friendship and support. We extend our deepest sympathies to the Casey family on its personal loss.