Brand Spotlights

The Brand Spotlight Series showcases innovations and solutions to CX challenges, from today’s leading brands.

American Airlines

An interview with Carolyne Truelove, Vice President of Customer & Operational Excellence at American Airlines

In an industry where disruption is the norm and expectations continue to rise, American Airlines is proving that customer care can be both deeply human and remarkably efficient. At the helm of this transformation is Carolyne Truelove, Vice President of Customer Care and Operational Excellence, who is leading with equal parts heart and strategy. 

From empowering frontline teams to deploying predictive AI tools, her team is reimagining what it means to care for customers at scale, turning moments of stress into moments of loyalty and everyday journeys into something more meaningful. In this conversation, Truelove shares how American Airlines is meeting the moment and why the future of travel depends on leading with empathy, insight, and bold innovation.

Execs In The Know (EITK): What makes the customer care model at American Airlines different and exciting for you?

Carolyne Truelove: What excites me most is that we aren’t just delivering service; we’re curating experiences with purpose, passion, and precision. At American, we’ve architected a care model that’s globally scalable and locally personal, powered by data and deeply human in spirit. With more than 350 airports and a global network of multilingual customer engagement centers, we’re blending operational excellence with heart.

It’s thrilling to lead a team that turns moments of stress into moments of loyalty and transforms the logistics of travel into lasting impressions.

EITK: Let’s discuss the transition from reactive to proactive care. Why does it matter?                   

Carolyne: Proactive care means becoming a companion in our customers’ journey, not just a solution when something goes wrong. By applying predictive analytics, disruption modeling, and real-time communication tools, we anticipate needs before they’re even expressed. In 2024, we successfully right-channeled over 20 million contacts from traditional to digital channels, such as our enhanced app and aa.com, allowing us to resolve routine needs quickly while freeing our teams to focus on what matters most: building trust through care.    

We are on our way and strive to improve and refine our proactive care approach through new processes and strategies as we learn more about what our customers need. Our goal is to provide accurate information at the right time consistently. We recognize that the balance between digital and human support is crucial to getting this right.

EITK: How has American’s digital transformation evolved with customer expectations?

Carolyne: Our evolution has been nothing short of thrilling. Today, the AAdvantage® app is a personal concierge, helping customers check in, rebook, track bags, and earn miles with confidence and ease. With a fresh design and added AAdvantage® hub, the app now puts elite benefits, priority services, flight credits, and offers just a tap away.

As our Chief Customer Officer, Heather Garboden, says, “We’re giving our customers the kind of travel tools they didn’t know they could have but now can’t live without. Every customer deserves to feel known, respected, and prioritized. That’s how we win hearts, not just business.”

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The American Airlines Brand Spotlight is featured in the July 2025 issue of CX Insight magazine.

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