Dive Brief:
- American Airlines appointed Heather Garboden SVP and chief customer officer, the company announced Tuesday. She will oversee the airline’s newly created customer experience team.
- The customer experience organization will serve as an advocate for customers and study the entire customer journey, including booking, bags, inflight experience and feedback, according to CEO Robert Isom in a Tuesday memo to employees shared with CX Dive.
- Garboden’s most recent role was SVP of American Eagle & Cargo at American, where she oversaw the airline’s cargo and regional businesses. Both teams operate at the intersection of CX, operations and commercial with the goal of providing seamless experiences, according to Isom.
Dive Insight:
The creation of a dedicated customer experience team and first-ever chief customer officer role with a holistic view of the company will help American coordinate its organizations with an eye toward customer needs. Previously, the airline had a chief customer offer operating within the sales organization.
“While we are proud of the work that our Operations and Commercial teams have accomplished, as we move forward, it is clear we need a centralized, cohesive team charged with transforming how our customers experience and engage with our airline,” Isom said in the memo.
Garboden will report to COO David Seymour and Chief Strategy Officer Steve Johnson, with the goal of strengthening the connection between the CX, operations and commercial aspects of American’s business. Brady Byrnes, SVP of inflight and premium guest services, will begin reporting to Garboden.
The airlines’ recent experience upgrades include new boarding technology and the relaunch of its corporate experience program, which offers benefits including priority boarding and priority reaccommodations after disruptions. The company is also working to ensure all international fliers in premium cabins have access to screens and Wi-Fi.
American’s investments in corporate and premium experiences are paying off, executives said during a fourth quarter 2024 earnings call last month. Loyalty revenues rose 14% year over year in the quarter, and total revenue was up 4.6% to $13.7 billion.
“Our operations and commercial efforts have put us in a position to announce the next important milestone in our journey,” Isom said in the memo. “We know that today’s customers are choosing their airline based on experience and premium products — and we want American to be customers’ carrier of choice.”
In addition to the other changes, American’s Operational Excellence Advisory Board will become its Customer Experience Advisory Board. The company plans to add to the board “additional outside voices who can share insights with us on how we structure our customer-focused efforts going forward,” Isom said.
Clarification: This article has been updated to note American previously had a chief customer officer within its sales organization.
