American Airlines late yesterday announced the promotion of Gerald Arpey to president and COO. Arpey, who had been executive vice president of operations, now is responsible for most operating units, including flight, maintenance and engineering, American Eagle, AA Cargo, airport customer service and field operations, as well as the company's system operations control center.
The 20-year American Airlines veteran will continue reporting directly to AA chairman and CEO Don Carty from whom he took presidential duties. "With the retirement of vice chairman Bob Baker, it was an opportune moment to reorganize the reporting structure in ways that will ultimately tighten and enhance American's operational effectiveness," Carty said in a company statement.
With Baker's retirement, Arpey now appears to be Carty's heir-apparent at the world's largest airline.