T
TheWorldIsaBook
Gerard J. Arpey
Chairman and CEO American Airlines
©CHET SNEDDEN
summer 2010
celebratedliving.com
8
FrOm
THe CeO
“The central struggleofmenhas
ever been to understand one an-
other,” writes Antoine de saint-
exupéry in his 1939 book,
Wind,
Sand and Stars
. “And it is this
very thing that themachine”—
by which saint-exupérymeans
theairplane—“helps them todo.
It begins by annihilating time
and space.” Those words have
been on my mind a great deal
lately, as I have had occasion to
travel toAsia several times dur-
ing the last fewmonths. It ishard
not to be struck by how easy it
has become to travel great dis-
tances inashortperiodof time.
It has been 75 years since the
firstcommercial trans-Pacificair
servicewas launched.The inauguralflight, fromCali-
fornia to the Philippines by flying boat, entailed 60
hours of flying spreadover sixandahalf days, and it
included stops inHonolulu, midway Island,Wake Is-
land, andGuam. As arduous as that journey sounds,
thealternativewasaboat tripof at least threeweeks.
Fast-forward to today: I recentlyhadamorningmeet-
ing inTokyo, anafternoonmeeting inshanghai, and
washome inmyNorthTexasbed that samenight.
AmericanAirlines has been connecting shanghai
and Chicago, two of theworld’s great cities, for four
years. shanghai, as youmay know, is located on the
coast of theeastChinasea.Themostpopulousurban
area inChina, itwas thefirstChinese seaport opened
toWestern trade, and it has long been the country’s
leading industrial and commercial center. I can per-
sonallyattest to thecity’sbustlingpace. This isapar-
ticularly exciting time tovisit shanghai, as the city is
host toWorld expo 2010, the premier gathering of
world cultures, which runs frommay 1 toOctober 31.
This is China’s first time host-
ing, and with nearly 200 coun-
tries represented and an
estimated 70 million visitors
fromaround theworldexpected,
it promises to be the biggest
World expo in the event’s 150-
year history. AmericanAirlines
is proud tobe the official airline
sponsor of World expo 2010’s
usA Pavilion, whichwill show-
case our country’s culture and
help foster friendship and un-
derstandingbetween theAmeri-
canandChinesepeople.
As you know, there are few
topics in the world of business
— or in the world at large, for
that matter— as interesting or
as important as the relationship between the united
statesandChina.We’reexcitedabout theroleweplay
in connecting the two countries. At just over 7,000
miles, ourflightsbetweenChicagoandshanghai take
between13andahalfand14andahalfhours,depend-
ingonwhichdirectionyou’reheaded.While thatmay
seem likea long time tospend in theair, it iscertainly
a lot shorter anda lotmore comfortable thana three-
weekboat ride.
many centuries ago, st. Augustine wrote, “The
world isabook, and thosewhodonot travel readonly
a page.” Like a great book or other work of art, air
travel expands our horizons, fuels our imaginations,
anddeepensourunderstandingofour fellowmanand
of ourselves. sinceyouare likely reading thiscolumn
onboardanAAflight, I’mguessingyoualreadyknow
that, but I think it’sworth repeating. It’s alsoworth
repeating that everymemberof our teamappreciates
that youhave chosen toflywithus today. Thankyou
for lettingusbepartofyourstory.Haveagreat trip.
