A
couple years back, in 2012, Carmen Taylor, managing
director of AA Cargo’s Latin America sales division,
which includes South America, Mexico, Caribbean, Central
America, and the southeast region of the United States,
was recognized by Miami World Trade Center for “exceptional
leadership in promoting and enhancing free trade and
international business.”
Regarding her success,
the three-decades-plus veteran of American says simply:
“I love my job.”
“My philosophy is
make the customer successful, and they will also make
you successful.”
The
Year That Was 2015
“At American Airlines
Cargo, our top priority continues to be our unique focus
on delivering an enhanced service, including offering
an expansive, incomparable network and a diverse selection
of flights to choose from, all while exceeding our customers’
expectations.
“We do this by providing
a valuable, top-notch experience from booking to pick
up.
“Looking at the
big picture, the customer experience starts with our
employees being engaged and well informed. Focusing
on ensuring we have the tools and technology needed
for our customers to excel remains top of our list.
“The standouts are
in Latin America. On an always-positive note, the last
four months of the year mark the peak season for northbound
perishable traffic.
“This year, we’re
ready (and excited, of course) to see a high demand
for space from Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Uruguay,
Brazil, and Central America—routes which are fortunately
very solid to the USA, but also to Europe (LHR, CDG,
AMS, MAD) and Asia (NRT, PVG, HKG).
“This is an example
of how we truly make effective use of our growing network.
“For example, our
ability to link Asia with Latin America enables us to
provide express transit solutions to our customers.
2015 was a big year for us—and there are more
improvements and advancements to come.”
Cuba,
Si?
“In the past, American
has operated flights to Cuba, only with charter service
from Miami and Tampa to five key destinations, including
Camagüey, Cienfuegos, Havana, Holguín, and
Santa Clara. Just this
year, American and Envoy will operate nearly 1,100 charter
flights to the island.
“The bilateral aviation
agreement between the two countries dates back to 1953,
so we’re working to reduce barriers that currently
exist and hope to have more positive news to share in
the future around commercial routes.
“Overall, American
is the leading carrier to the Caribbean with up to 150
daily flights to 31 destinations in the region.”
An
Olympian Effort For 2016
“I spent some time
in Rio de Janeiro in July and found the airport—and
the city—very busy. [We are] working hard to ensure
the daily operations would be ready for this world event
scheduled to start less than a year from now on August
5, 2016.
“We are confident
these summer Olympics will drive an even stronger demand
for air cargo—and we should see the impact starting
early in the second quarter of 2016.
“The impacts of
such major world events, such as the Olympics, remain
a significant part of our objective to provide a world-class
service, no matter the day, location, or nonstandard
situation.”
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Just
Merged
“Our merger with
US Airways allowed us to become the largest airline
in the world with over 6,700 daily flights, thus offering
a unique and exceptional network to the destinations
our customers need to reach most frequently.
“On October 20,
2014, American Airlines Cargo fully integrated with
US Airways Cargo and, as of that day in our history,
we were able to combine the best parts of both airlines
and gain synergies that allowed us to operate more efficiently
and, therefore, more effectively.
“From that day going
forward, Cargo customers were able to tender shipments,
regardless of the airline equipment in which the shipment
was flying—using one Single Air Waybill (SAWB).
“Since then, we’ve
had the ability, and pleasure, of offering one set of
products through one set of operational procedures.
“Our small to medium
Cargo customers became eligible to earn awards through
our Business Extra program as recognition for their
loyalty and support. And most importantly, we were able
to greatly benefit from the combination of two teams
into one single and dynamic team, co-locating in 154
stations.
“The integration
of these two teams has had a tremendously positive impact
on our operations and customers—and that, in effect,
became the building block to our current and future
success.”
Why
We Love Carmen
Born in Lyon, France,
Carmen says of being a woman in air cargo:
“The demands are
there to deliver all around, no matter who you are.”
“We are very proud
of the role we play in facilitating international trade
and helping consumers worldwide gain access to a large
variety of goods available in the market.”
On
The Mark
“In July 2004, [our]
good friend Mark Najarian, (pictured here) who was at
the time our VP Cargo Sales, gave me an incredible opportunity
to run our Cargo Sales business in Miami.
“Although I was
a little nervous at the beginning—since I knew
very, very little about the cargo industry—I quickly
learned that the cargo business is a ‘people-to-people’
business.”
“The experience
of being ‘real’ with people had an immediate
impact:
“Once you have built
credibility within your customer base, they will support
you.
“Working in cargo
for the last nine years has truly been a very rewarding
experience.
“I feel extremely
fortunate that my work with American Airlines has given
me the opportunity to travel across the globe,”
Carmen Taylor said.
Looking
At Tomorrow
“Our still-growing
fleet of 777-300s and the recently added 787 Dreamliner
deliveries have played a huge role in supporting American’s
expansion plans to Asia—including services from
Dallas (DFW) to Honk Kong (HKG) and DFW to Shanghai
(PVG).
“Decreasing the
age of our fleet to improve overall fuel efficiency
(thus, range) and customer experience (for passengers
and Cargo customers) helps us truly visualize where
we’re going as a company—modernization and
continuous evolution of our products and services will
allow us to ensure our employees are the best in the
business and our customers are happy above expectation.
“This continued
growth in our fleet has also allowed us to offer an
additional three flights a day to PVG from Chicago (ORD),
Los Angeles (LAX), and DFW.
“On a similar note,
we’re very excited about the newly announced service
from LAX to Sydney, Australia (SYD), to be launched
on December 17, 2015 (pending final approval), while
we also wait for the return of our Tokyo (HND) from
LAX route, sometime at the end of this year.
“In addition to
growing and improving our fleet, we’re building
on our network facilities and investing in modernized
structures and advanced processes.
“This past spring
alone, American Airlines Cargo moved 71 of 116 total
CSafe units over a three-week period.
“Just about any
medications you see advertised, whether prescription
or over the counter, require distribution in a temperature-controlled
environment and we have seen a growing interest in utilizing
our new facility in PHL.
“We continue to
conduct regular tours with our customers and the pharma
companies to let them see the benefits of our facility
firsthand and the advantage of special handling that
our new facility offers for these time- and temperature-sensitive
shipments.
“We’ve also
begun implementing improvements to our facilities and
equipment at warehouses across the system.
“Starting with our
Dallas hub and Miami, one of our most strategic locations,
[we’re] focused on connecting the U.S. to key
international markets, including South America, Mexico,
and the Caribbean. We’ve [already] implemented
several new efforts.”
It’s
All About Service
“American Airlines
Cargo continues to identify new ways to better serve
our customers, whether it’s through technology,
our products or our network.
“Because Latin America
continues to be one of our strongest performing regions,
we are expanding our network further into the international
arena as we also continue to invest strategically to
strengthen our network and customer relationships in
this area.
Carmen
Favorites
“I feel extremely
fortunate that my work with American Airlines has given
me the opportunity to travel across the globe.
“In reality, it
is hard to find any city that does not appeal to someone!
“Whether it’s
the local people, architecture, history, culture, music,
or landscape, I always find something special and unique
when I’m in a new city.
“My favorite city
in the world remains Paris, as it offers something no
other city can.
“Every time I am
in Paris, I find something exceptional, whether it is
an old building, a bridge, or a great antique store.
“Plus, with my family
living in France, I am able to make many stopovers in
Paris while en route to Lyon, my hometown.
“I love activities
around the arts, including music (opera), live theatre,
movies and, of course, like most French people do, I
enjoy eating and cooking. I used to be a pretty good
skier, but living in Miami Beach makes it easy to enjoy
golf. Most weekends I join my husband on the golf course…”
Time
For Latin America
“Latin America is
a region with great potential.
“Just as American
Airlines has been investing heavily in Latin America,
so, too, have other companies.
“This is opening
many doors to consumers and industries.
“For many years,
the majority of shipments originating in Latin America
had the U.S. as a final destination.
“Now, a very large
share of that traffic ends up in the European countries
and Asia, too—including Japan and China.
“Overall, I am very
grateful to enjoy great health, wonderful family and
friends, and working for a company that I love as if
it were my own!” Carmen Taylor said.
Geoffrey
