Summary
- American Airlines is eliminating several hundred positions in its customer service team.
- The job cuts will affect workers in Phoenix and Dallas/Fort Worth.
- American aims to provide 24/7 assistance to customers by transferring some non-essential inquiries to international teams.
American Airlines is reshuffling its customer service team by eliminating over several hundred positions. The US legacy carrier said the reorganization will provide its customers “with world-class care” and “around-the-clock availability.”
The job cuts will occur at American hubs in Phoenix and Dallas/Fort Worth. Most of the affected workers will be able to continue in their current roles until the end of March.
Downsizing the team
WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) Notices were sent to a total of 656 employees on Monday, according to The Dallas Morning News. 321 workers at American’s Fort Worth, Texas headquarters and at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) received the notification. At the same time, 335 notices were sent to employees at the airline’s offices in Tempe, Arizona, and at nearby Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX).
Photo: Orlando International Airport
The carrier confirmed the development in a statement, saying its new customer service team will be “more convenient.”
“Today, we announced updates to our contact center organization that will help us better serve our customers. As part of these updates, we are creating a new Customer Success team that will be dedicated to providing more convenient, elevated support to American Airlines customers with some of their most complex travel needs. […]. Unfortunately, this means some current positions will be eliminated.”
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While the team will be much smaller – comprised of just 135 employees, according to The Dallas Morning News – it will continue to address every customer inquiry. However, some non-essential customer inquiries will be transferred to other teams.
“In addition, we will transition some of our lighter-touch contact center inquiries to our international teams made up of American Airlines and partner support, which will give our customers 24/7 assistance, no matter when they reach out to us,” the airline said in a statement obtained by Phoenix local news affiliate duopoly, Arizona’s Family.
Supporting affected workers
American is providing options for those who will be separated from their roles. The airline said affected employees will have access to other job opportunities within the airline. According to Dallas/Fort Worth NBC local affiliate, KXAS, there are over 800 current openings that workers can apply for, including on the newly formed customer service team. The affected employees are reportedly not represented by a union.
“We’re working closely with impacted team members to support them through this transition including providing exclusive access to job openings throughout American Airlines, outplacement services and severance.”
Photo: Channing Reid | Simple Flying
Severance pay will be offered to employees who cannot find employment within the company or are eligible to retire. Outplacement support will help workers to find work elsewhere.
According to multiple reports, the affected workers will remain in their current roles until March 30th.
“American is dedicated to providing our customers with world-class care,” the airline explained to Arizona’s Family. “Creating this new Customer Success team of upskilled team members and relying on our international team to provide around-the-clock availability will help us not only deliver on that commitment, but provide an even higher level of support in the future.”
Record financial performance
As the largest carrier in terms of passengers at both DFW and PHX, American also employs many at the two hubs. As air travel demand has increased over the years, the airline has financially performed nicely since the pandemic.
Last week, the carrier reported its 2023 fourth-quarter and full-year financial results, with record earnings. In the last three months of the year, American made a profit of $19 million, which topped Wall Street estimates, according to CNBC.
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