American Airlines Is Reimagining Customer Experience at Scale

For many, air travel can feel like a test of patience, an unpredictable mix of logistics, luck, and long lines. But what if it didn’t have to be that way?

In a recent interview for the July 2025 issue of CX Insight magazine, the go-to resource for 85,000+ corporate customer experience leaders, I sat down with Carolyne Truelove, Vice President of Customer and Operational Excellence at American Airlines. What emerged wasn’t just a story about digital innovation or operations. It was a lesson in how scale, strategy, and soul can come together to create something truly transformative.

From Stress to Loyalty

Carolyne isn’t just managing operations; she’s orchestrating experiences. With a global network that spans more than 350 airports and multilingual customer engagement centers, American Airlines has built a care model that is both technically sophisticated and profoundly personal.

“What excites me most is that we aren’t just delivering service; we’re curating experiences with purpose, passion, and precision,” Carolyne told me. “It’s thrilling to lead a team that turns moments of stress into moments of loyalty.”

In other words, it’s not just about getting people from point A to point B. It’s about how they feel along the way.

Proactive Care That Travels With You

As flight disruptions, weather delays, and unexpected changes continue to challenge the industry, Carolyne’s team has leaned into the power of predictive care, becoming more of a companion than a safety net.

“Proactive care means becoming a companion in our customers’ journey, not just a solution when something goes wrong,” she explained. “In 2024, we successfully right-channeled over 20 million contacts from traditional to digital channels… allowing us to resolve routine needs quickly while freeing our teams to focus on what matters most: building trust through care.”

That trust is built on a careful balance of digital innovation and human insight. While the enhanced AAdvantage® app serves as a digital concierge, AI tools work in the background to assist agents, personalize experiences, and resolve common issues faster, all while preserving the irreplaceable touch of human empathy.

“Automation takes care of the basics, so our people can focus on human-first moments: listening, understanding, and uplifting,” Carolyne said. “It’s that balance between science and soul that defines the American Airlines brand.”

Listening, Learning, and Leading From the Frontlines

What impressed me most was how Carolyne connects the dots between data and decision-making and how she sources insight not just from dashboards, but from her people.

“Our teams on the frontlines of airports and customer engagement centers are our deepest well of truth,” she shared. “Every new idea we implement starts with one simple question: What are our teams experiencing firsthand?”

That frontline feedback has led to real, measurable outcomes. American Airlines has streamlined boarding tools, enhanced agent visibility into the traveler journey, and implemented a digital baggage tracker that reduced resolution times by 40 percent and boosted satisfaction scores by nine points.

The result? A customer care operation that is not only more efficient, with First Contact Resolution rates above 85 percent, but also more emotionally intelligent.

Scaling Humanity Across the Globe

With travelers demanding simplicity, personalization, and speed from anywhere in the world, American Airlines has responded by building journeys that feel intuitive and inclusive, whether you’re flying from Tucson or Tokyo.

From cultural fluency training to inclusive app design, every touch point is designed to deliver not just efficiency but dignity.

Carolyne’s approach is shaped by personal experience. As a frequent flier herself, traveling with her husband to see parents, children, and grandchildren, she lives the customer experience every day. “It’s both a joy and a quality check every single time,” she said.

The Joy of Operational Excellence

For Carolyne, the true reward isn’t just performance metrics. It’s people reaching their potential. Whether it’s recognizing great work, mentoring emerging leaders, or simply saying “good morning” with presence and purpose, her leadership philosophy is grounded in care.

“I genuinely glean vitamins from celebrating others,” she shared. “The joy of operational excellence? It’s seeing it built by people who feel seen, supported, and unstoppable.”

As American Airlines continues to invest in AI, emotion-aware tools, and multimodal communication platforms, one thing is clear: their North Star isn’t just innovation. It’s impact. And under Carolyne Truelove’s leadership, that impact is defined by empathy, powered by insight, and designed to make every journey, and every conversation, a little more human.

Read the full interview with Carolyne in the July 2025 issue of CX Insight magazine.