As Vasu Raja departs American Airlines and the airline searches for its next chief commercial officer, The Beat canvassed industry stakeholders and veterans, and also curated some public remarks, to address one question: What advice would you give to American’s next chief commercial officer?
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American Airlines Group Inc. dismissed its commercial chief in the wake of a critical review from Bain & Co. that found its new marketing strategy was alienating corporate clients, according to a person familiar with the matter.
A day after American Airlines confirmed chief commercial officer Vasu Raja would depart the company in June, CEO Robert Isom said other commercial changes are afoot as the airline looks to mend relationships with agencies and corporate customers and undo disruptive elements of its distribution strategy.
The CEO of American Airlines has made his first public comments since it was announced that the carrier’s commercial chief is leaving the company. Late on Tuesday afternoon, the Dallas-based airline said Vasu Raja would step down next month. News of his departure coincided with a downgrading of American’s financial outlook for the current quarter.
American Airlines will slash its capacity growth in the second half of the year and consider a host of other changes to a sales strategy that backfired, CEO Robert Isom said Wednesday. The comments come a day after the carrier cut its revenue and profit forecast and said it is parting ways with its chief commercial officer, Vasu Raja.
One day after announcing that chief commercial officer Vasu Raja would leave the company in June, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom acknowledged Wednesday during an investor conference that the carrier made errors in rolling out its New Distribution Capability strategy and vowed to change some tactics.
American Airlines is backing away from a strategy that Chief Executive Robert Isom said drove away lucrative corporate customers and dragged down the airline’s revenue. American had bet that a slowdown in business travel following the Covid-19 pandemic would help it push dramatic changes in its relationships with corporate customers.
American Airlines is reversing course on its controversial distribution strategy. Speaking Wednesday at the Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said that going forward the airline must do more to enhance and promote NDC modern retailing instead of removing content from the GDSs that many corporate and leisure travel agencies rely upon.
American Airlines confirmed that it has postponed the launch of its new preferred agency program, which calls for travel agencies to process a growing percentage of transactions through New Distribution Capability-based connections.
