American Airlines has recently disclosed a plan to downsize its customer support team. The strategy entails laying-off 656 staff members from the AAdvantage Customer Service, Customer Relations, and Central Baggage Resolution departments. The impact of the downsizing will be equally discernible in Phoenix and Dallas-Fort Worth, with 335 and 321 employees being let go, respectively.
However, American Airlines is also launching a new team dedicated to Customer Success, designed to manage intricate travel requirements and streamline the customer relations process. The motivation is to simplify resolutions of multiple issues by assigning a single team in place of multiple overlapping ones.
The airlines have offered the affected employees the opportunity to apply for 135 positions within the new team. The company has assured that it will provide comprehensive support to the employees impacted by this transition, giving them preferential access to other job openings within American Airlines. Staff members unsuccessful in getting alternative positions in the company will be given severance packages and assistance for outplacement.
American Airlines has also confirmed that the employees affected by the downsizing will continue to work and receive their regular pay until March 30. This move echoes the trends seen in other major companies such as the Los Angeles Times, Citigroup, Amazon, Google, and Alphabet, which also reduced their workforces early in the year.
