American Airlines is proud to honour more than 400 team members celebrating at least 45 years of service and 35 or more years for pilots due to the mandatory retirement age. These special team members’ tenure with the airline amounts to more than 11,000 years of combined experience.
Team members — many of whom started their careers together — reunited to recognize their colleagues during a black-tie dinner at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas. The night was filled with dancing, laughter and storytelling.
“Team members in attendance have met religious leaders, astronauts, Supreme Court justices, presidents, musicians and more through their work experiences,” said American’s Chairman and CEO Doug Parker. “You have built this airline to what it is today. We stand on your shoulders, and we all will continue the legacy you have created.”
This year’s honorees began their careers with 11 different heritage carriers, including Air Cal, Allegheny, American, Eastern, Empire, Mohawk, Ozark, Piedmont, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA), Trans World Airlines (TWA) and USAir. More than 280 honorees and their guests attended the special event, which included live entertainment from Motown legend Martha Reeves. More than 400 team members met the impressive threshold.
“I’ve had a wonderful 40 years at American,” said CLT-based Capt. David Wagoner. “I met my wife, a former flight attendant, thanks to this career. We travelled the world and instilled that love of travel in our daughters. My youngest is currently in Europe, and I will get the honour of flying her back from Munich next month.”
We travelled around the American network to learn more about three other team members and their careers at the airline.
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