6 more days, RR? 6 more days until.........?
John Hale to be VP-flight at new American Airlines Group
By
Terry Maxon
tmaxon@dallasnews.com
6:26 pm on December 2, 2013 |
Permalink
John Hale, chief pilot and vice president of flight at American Airlines, will become vice president of flight in the new American Airlines Group as of next week.
Tim Campbell, an operations consultant who takes over as senior vice president of air operations when the American Airlines-US Airways merger closes on Monday, Dec. 9, announced Hales appointment in a letter to his team Monday.
Campbell had appointed most of his incoming team last summer as a merger date of late August was approached. An Aug. 13 lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice delayed the merger for nearly four months.
You may recall that we deferred announcing the future leader of our important Flight department, Campbell wrote Monday. Today I am pleased to announce Captain John Hale as vice president, Flight, at the new American.
Campbell said that with nearly 30 years at American, I am confident Captain Hales extensive aviation experience and passion for serving his team will help us safely and successfully navigate our airlines new opportunities.
In the time Ive known John, Ive come away with a strong belief that he possesses the skills we need to blend our two Flight groups into what is truly one team. Please join me in congratulating Captain Hale! Campbell wrote.
US Airways vice president of flight operations, Lyle Hogg, has agreed to serve in a transition role to help John and me by providing oversight of the US operating certificate and assistance with the enormous amount of integration work we have ahead of us, Campbell added.
This includes the execution of our extensive plan to achieve a single operating certificate from the FAA, he wrote.
I cant thank Lyle enough for his leadership, professionalism and collaboration. He has worked both tirelessly and selflessly during a demanding period of task saturation and ambiguity. John and I are very fortunate to have his assistance and counsel during the merger planning process.
Keep reading for the entire Campbell letter.
Dear Air Operations team,
Thanks to a lot of hard work and unwavering support throughout both airlines, we are now one week away from legally closing our merger and becoming one company! As announced last July, I will have the honor and privilege to assume the position of senior vice president, Air Operations, upon merger close. Our combined team in Air Operations will include pilots, flight attendants and everyone in our respective operations control groups. I am thrilled to join the new American and humbled to lead such an esteemed and experienced group of aviation professionals.
The purpose of this note is to introduce myself to those of you I havent met since I came aboard in a consulting role this past summer, and to present some organizational changes that will take place at our new company next week.
By way of my background, Ive worked in the aviation industry for 28 years. I started my career as an engineer at Boeing and later went on to serve in a variety of leadership roles in finance and operations at Northwest Airlines and Delta. At Northwest, I had the pleasure of serving with a number of US Airways folks that will now be helping to lead the new American. The opportunity to work with them, and you, as we restore American Airlines to its rightful position as the best airline in the world is what motivated me to accept this huge opportunity.
As noted above, the Air Operations division at our new American will include all the teams that directly contribute to the flight side of operations. The new structure will facilitate improved coordination by having us on one team with one mission. In July, we announced a couple of key leadership roles that will report directly to me: Hector Adler, vice president, Flight Services and Captain Kimball Stone, vice president, IOC (Integrated Operations Control). For our colleagues at US Airways, the IOC is the equivalent of your OCC; it is the nerve center of the airline. Hector and Kimball are currently serving similar roles at US Airways and American, respectively. Hector will also assume responsibilities for Catering as he does today at US Airways. Both Hector and Kimball will share letters next week with more information to their respective teams.
You may recall that we deferred announcing the future leader of our important Flight department. Today I am pleased to announce Captain John Hale as vice president, Flight, at the new American. With nearly three decades of service at American, including his current role as vice president, Flight, I am confident Captain Hales extensive aviation experience and passion for serving his team will help us safely and successfully navigate our airlines new opportunities. In the time Ive known John, Ive come away with a strong belief that he possesses the skills we need to blend our two Flight groups into what is truly one team. Please join me in congratulating Captain Hale!
Additionally, I am very pleased to announce that Captain Lyle Hogg, vice president, Flight Operations at US Airways, has agreed to serve in a transition role to help John and me by providing oversight of the US operating certificate and assistance with the enormous amount of integration work we have ahead of us. This includes the execution of our extensive plan to achieve a single operating certificate from the FAA. I cant thank Lyle enough for his leadership, professionalism and collaboration. He has worked both tirelessly and selflessly during a demanding period of task saturation and ambiguity. John and I are very fortunate to have his assistance and counsel during the merger planning process.
Ive spent a lot of time on airplanes over the past five months. As many of you know firsthand, this has allowed me to speak to dozens of flight crews. Ive also been able to meet many others in our various crew bases. The feedback Ive received from you is truly motivating. The enthusiasm at both legacy airlines about the merger and all that it promises is incredible.
As we prepare to navigate these changes, I encourage you to regularly visit Jetnet, WINGS and your respective departmental websites to learn more about the new American, next steps and significant milestones, especially as you plan for interactions with customers and new colleagues.
Anyone involved in this business has experienced some tough times over the past decade with many dark days and things we never want to see again. I can assure you I am dedicated to doing all I can to capitalize on this unique opportunity that officially starts next week. I want to maintain our momentum toward the new dawn on the horizon, and not on the times fading into the sunset. It wont be easy and change wont happen overnight, but if we work together and remain open to change, it will be worth the journey. We should all be proud to tell others we work at the new American Airlines!
Sincerely,
Tim Campbell
Senior Vice President
Air Operations
