B
ANewChapter
Gerard J. Arpey
Chairman and CEO American Airlines
©CHET SNEDDEN
Fall 2010
celebratedliving.com
10
FROM
THE CEO
Bydefinition,americanairlines
customers are knowledgeable
about aviation, so I’m guessing
you are already well versed in
the exploits of pioneers such as
the Wright brothers, Charles
lindbergh, andameliaEarhart.
But what do the names FengRu
andleeYa-Chingmean toyou?
FengRu isconsidered theFa-
therofChineseaviation.awell-
known engineer in China, he
was inspired by the Wright
brothers’ success tomove toCal-
ifornia, where he built planes of
his own design in a small work-
shop. He completed his first air-
craft in 1909, returned to his
homeland with two planes in
1911, and is believed to be the first pilot to success-
fully take off from China. lee Ya-Ching has been
calledChina’sFirstladyofFlight.asa teenager, she
was one of themost famous silent-film actresses in
China. But her life trajectory changedwhile shewas
attending an air show in Paris. It was then that she
became determined to be her country’s first female
pilot. after studying in both Europe and the United
States, shereturned toChina in1935, earnedapilot’s
license, andwent on tobecomeChina’smost famous
aviatorand foremost promoterof civil aviation.
While China’s aviation history is long and sto-
ried, for too long american airlines — for a lot of
reasonsand toourgreat frustration—wasnotapart
of it. That changed in 2006, whenwe launched non-
stop service between Shanghai and Chicago. and
more recently, we began an important and exciting
new chapter, adding a second China-bound flight,
this timebetweenChicagoandBeijing.
as I am sureyouknow, Beijing is the capital of the
People’sRepublicofChinaandhasbeen the country’s
political andcultural center forhundredsofyears. lo-
cated on the northern tip of the North China Plain
(Beijing literallymeans “northern capital”), it is the
country’s second-largest city after Shanghai. Having
visitedBeijingseveral times, Iknowfirsthand that it is
anamazingcity, one I cannotbe-
gin to do justice in the space I
havehere. Perhapsnowhereelse
onEarth can you experience so
muchhistory alongside somuch
modernity, from theGreatWall;
theForbiddenCity;ancientopera
halls, temples, and teahouses; to
skyscrapersandfive-starhotels.
addingBeijing to our global
network is a big milestone for
us and for our customers. The
economic and cultural links be-
tween China and the United
States have never been more
important, and thisnewservice
further cements the status of
our Chicago hub as a premier
gateway toasiaand thePacific.
Wenow operate dailynonstop service fromChicago
O’Hare toTokyo,Delhi, Shanghai, andBeijing.
New markets are always a challenge, and of
course, getting the job done well for our customers
requiresmore thanmodernaircraftandcomfortable
seats. Fortunately, we have a group of experts at
americanwho have helped us tailor our product of-
fering for thenewBeijing service. Ourasian/Pacific
IslanderEmployeeResourceGrouphasplayedama-
jor role in planning several aspects of our service,
from in-flight entertainment to onboard cuisine. I
hope you will visit aa.com/China to learn more
about ourBeijingandShanghai servicesand stopby
aa.com/Milestones to enjoy video tours, customer
photos, andmessage-boardpostings.
TheChinesephilosopherConfucius famouslysaid,
“Wheresoeveryougo, gowithall yourheart.”While I
don’tthinkhehadairtravel inmind(itwasabout2,500
years ago), that advice certainly resonateswithme,
and I know it resonateswith all ofmyaa colleagues
all over theworldwho put their heart and soul into
takingyouwheresoeveryouwant togo in theworld.
I know I speak for themwhen I say thankyou for
flyingwithus today.Haveagreat trip!
