AMR Corporation Announces Organizational Changes

FORT WORTH, Texas, July 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Capitalizing on the momentum generated by the granting of antitrust immunity across the Atlantic, and anticipating similar immunity across the Pacific, AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines, today announced a reorganization of its senior management team.

Tom Horton, previously Executive Vice President of Finance and Planning and Chief Financial Officer, has been promoted to the position of President – AMR and American Airlines, and will continue to report directly to AMR Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Gerard Arpey.  With his expanded responsibilities, Horton will oversee the finance, planning, sales and marketing, customer service, and information technology organizations.

"The execution of the joint businesses we are creating with our oneworld® partners will be watershed events for American Airlines," said Arpey. "We have an opportunity to create great benefits for our customers, opportunities for our people, and value for our shareholders, and we are realigning and consolidating our internal resources to make sure we do so.

"Since returning to American from AT&T in 2006, Tom Horton has been instrumental as we have navigated our way through some of the toughest times in our industry's history. Despite record fuel prices, frozen capital markets, and the worst economy in several decades, we have been able to raise capital, accelerate our fleet renewal, and strengthen our network and alliance partnerships.  We are laying a solid foundation for the future, and I look forward to working with Tom and the strong team we have assembled to support him."

Horton said, "I look forward to working in this role with the most capable team in the industry.  At American Airlines, we have a great brand and global franchise, talented and dedicated people, and unparalleled network assets in the U.S. and through our global partners. We have more hard work ahead, but we are confident that we are on the right path."

Reporting to Horton will be:

Virasb Vahidi, Senior Vice President – Marketing and Planning and Chief Commercial Officer. In this role, Vahidi, formerly Senior Vice President – Planning, will have expanded responsibilities for the development, management and promotion of American's products and services. Vahidi will add sales and distribution, marketing and advertising, and the AAdvantage® frequent flyer program to his responsibilities in addition to continuing to oversee network planning, corporate/fleet planning, corporate real estate, revenue management and strategic alliances, including American's membership in the oneworld alliance. In other changes on Vahidi's team:

Rob Friedman will serve in the role of Vice President – Marketing. Friedman, formerly President of the AAdvantage program, will consolidate and lead advertising, brand and marketing efforts for all of the company's products and services. Derek DeCross, formerly Managing Director – Interactive Marketing, will be President – AAdvantage.

Craig Kreeger, Senior Vice President – Customer Experience. In this position, Kreeger will be responsible for customer service and the overall customer experience. Kreeger, formerly Senior Vice President – International, will oversee AA.com, inflight services, reservations, the Jetstream project to create a next-generation passenger service system, the customer experience initiative, and corporate communications, including internal and external communications.

Bella Goren, Senior Vice President – Chief Financial Officer. In this role, Goren, formerly Senior Vice President – Customer Relationship Marketing, will be responsible for all of the Corporation's financial functions, including treasury, corporate finance, corporate development, purchasing, accounting, financial planning and relationships with the investment community. As CFO, Goren will oversee all of the Company's cost management activities, financial reporting, balance sheet and financing initiatives, and corporate transactions.

Monte Ford, Senior Vice President – Information Technology and Chief Information Officer. Ford will continue to oversee all aspects of the Company's information technology strategy and operations, including development and deployment of next-generation technology projects to improve customer service and efficiency. Ford will continue to oversee information technology initiatives for the operations, human resources, government affairs, and other organizations, which report to the Chairman and CEO.

The position of Vice President – International will be filled at a later date when a replacement is named to assume Kreeger's former duties.

In other organizational announcements, Captain John Hale, Director Crew Relations, has been named Vice President – Flight, replacing Mark Hettermann, who retired in June.  Denise Lynn, formerly Vice President – Diversity and Leadership Strategies, will serve in the role of Vice President – Onboard Services. Lynn will be responsible for leading AA's flight attendants. Taking Lynn's place as VP – Diversity and Leadership Strategies will be Lauri Curtis, the previous Vice President – Onboard Services.

"We are fortunate to have a deep pool of talented and committed leaders," said Arpey. "With today's realignment, I am more confident than ever that we are ready to seize the opportunities that await us and create many more in the months ahead."

About American Airlines

American Airlines, American Eagle and AmericanConnection® serve 250 cities in 40 countries with, on average, more than 3,400 daily flights. The combined network fleet numbers more than 900 aircraft. American's award-winning website, AA.com®, provides users with easy access to check and book fares, plus personalized news, information and travel offers. American Airlines is a founding member of the oneworld® Alliance, which brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business, enabling them to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own. Together, its members serve nearly 700 destinations in more than 130 countries and territories. American Airlines, Inc. and American Eagle Airlines, Inc. are subsidiaries of AMR Corporation. AmericanAirlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection, AA.com, We know why you fly and AAdvantage are registered trademarks of American Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: AMR)

AmericanAirlines®  We know why you fly®

Current AMR Corp. releases can be accessed on the Internet.

The address is http://www.aa.com

SOURCE AMR Corporation