In Conversation With American Airlines' CEO
In Conversation With American Airlines' CEO
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / July 23, 2024 / American Airlines
Chief Executive Officer Robert Isom shares his perspectives on the sustainability highlights and challenges for American in 2023
馬薩諸塞州北安普敦/ACCESSWIRE/2024 年 7 月 23 日/美國航空
首席執行官羅伯特·艾索姆分享了他對美國2023年可持續發展亮點和挑戰的看法
Originally published in American Airlines' 2023 Sustainability Report
最初發表在美國航空的《2023年可持續發展報告》中
Safety is an issue that's been front and center in the airline industry recently. How is American responding?
最近,安全問題一直是航空業的重中之重。美國的反應如何?
Safety is always at the forefront of everything we do at American, and it's part of my job every day. When American first developed it, our Safety Management System literally set the standard for our industry, and it continues to guide how we rigorously and consistently integrate safety across our operations. We know safety is about systems and execution, but all of that really starts with a strong safety culture. Our top safety leaders come to the role with deep experience working on the front line, with the professional certifications those roles require. They understand what good safety practices look like on the ground. And we make clear to every team member that safety is everyone's responsibility, that it's their duty to report any safety concerns - and they will never face any repercussions for doing so. Aviation is by far the safest mode of transportation in the world, and we are dedicated to keeping it that way.
安全始終是我們在美國所做的一切的重中之重,這是我每天工作的一部分。當美國航空首次開發安全管理系統時,我們的安全管理系統實際上爲我們的行業設定了標準,它繼續指導我們如何嚴格而持續地將安全整合到我們的運營中。我們知道安全與系統和執行有關,但所有這一切實際上都始於強大的安全文化。我們的頂級安全負責人上任該職位時擁有豐富的第一線工作經驗,並獲得了這些職位所需的專業認證。他們了解良好的安全措施在地面上是什麼樣子。我們還向每位團隊成員明確表示,安全是每個人的責任,他們有責任報告任何安全問題,而且他們永遠不會因此受到任何影響。航空是迄今爲止世界上最安全的交通方式,我們致力於保持這種狀態。
How do you think about operational performance in the context of sustainability?
您如何看待可持續發展背景下的運營業績?
First, it's important to remember that American is just one part of a broader supply chain that delivers travel - the airframe and engine manufacturers, fuel suppliers and government agencies that control the airspace are all critical parts - and making our industry more efficient and sustainable needs to be a joint effort. For example, improving how we use the airspace will help us operate more efficiently, save time for our passengers and reduce our emissions. That's why we advocate on behalf of our industry for more investment in the Federal Aviation Administration.
首先,重要的是要記住,美國航空只是提供旅行的更廣泛供應鏈的一部分——機身和發動機製造商、燃料供應商和控制空域的政府機構都是關鍵部分——提高我們的行業效率和可持續性需要共同努力。例如,改善空域使用方式將有助於我們提高運營效率,爲乘客節省時間並減少排放。這就是爲什麼我們代表我們的行業倡導對聯邦航空管理局進行更多投資的原因。
Within our own operations, American's ability to deliver on our sustainability goals depends on us continuing to run a reliable operation and thriving as a profitable enterprise. We remain laser focused on being the most reliable airline possible - one that delivers for our customers day in and day out. In 2023, we recorded our best full-year completion factor, with the lowest number of cancellations annually since 2013. Thanks to that, along with a host of other efforts we have underway to enhance the travel experience, we also posted company-record customer satisfaction scores for the year.
在我們自己的業務中,美國航空實現可持續發展目標的能力取決於我們能否繼續運營可靠的運營並作爲一家盈利企業蓬勃發展。我們始終致力於成爲最可靠的航空公司——一家日復一日地爲客戶提供服務的航空公司。2023 年,我們創下了最佳的全年完成率,這是自 2013 年以來每年的取消次數最低。因此,除了我們爲改善旅行體驗所做的一系列其他努力外,我們還公佈了公司本年度創紀錄的客戶滿意度分數。
Our job is to get every one of our passengers safely to their destination - on schedule and with their baggage in tow, to the very best of our ability. But, equally, it's to get every one of our team members home safely at the end of their workday. As we've ramped up operations and onboarded new team members - fully a quarter of the team is new to American since the pandemic - we've redoubled our focus on workplace safety, including by launching a new companywide safety awareness training program and strengthening our training for new hires. Protecting the safety of our people is our foremost priority. Among all the competing demands of running an airline, safety always wins for us.
我們的工作是盡我們所能,讓每位乘客按時並拖着行李,安全地到達目的地。但是,同樣,這是爲了讓我們的每位團隊成員在工作日結束時都能安全地回家。隨着我們加大運營力度並招募新的團隊成員——自疫情以來,整整四分之一的團隊對美國人來說是新成員——我們加倍關注工作場所安全,包括啓動一項新的全公司安全意識培訓計劃和加強對新員工的培訓。保護我們員工的安全是我們的首要任務。在運營航空公司的所有競爭要求中,安全永遠是我們的贏家。
"Aviation is widely recognized as one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonize. Getting there is going to require action and investment across the public and private sectors and, quite frankly, that's not happening at the pace or scale we need."
“航空業被廣泛認爲是最難實現脫碳的行業之一。實現這一目標需要公共和私營部門採取行動和進行投資,坦率地說,這並沒有以我們需要的速度或規模來實現。”
What do you see as American's biggest sustainability challenge?
你認爲美國最大的可持續發展挑戰是什麼?
Our ability to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
我們實現溫室氣體 (GHG) 淨零排放的能力。
There's no question we need to decarbonize aviation, and American's goal to achieve net zero GHG emissions by 2050 is the right one. We are taking concrete steps within our operations and pulling all the levers we can control to drive progress. This includes undertaking the most extensive fleet renewal effort in the history of our industry to give us the youngest mainline fleet among U.S. network carriers. We're also working and investing to help advance the technologies designed to deliver viable and scalable decarbonization solutions over time.
毫無疑問,我們需要實現航空脫碳,美國航空公司到2050年實現溫室氣體淨零排放的目標是正確的。我們正在行動中採取具體步驟,並利用一切可以控制的槓桿來推動進展。這包括進行業內歷史上最廣泛的機隊更新工作,爲我們提供美國網絡運營商中最年輕的幹線機隊。我們還在努力和投資,以幫助推進旨在隨着時間的推移提供可行且可擴展的脫碳解決方案的技術。
But the reality is the action we can take within our own operations - or the scale of investment we can absorb in our low-margin business - will never be sufficient on its own. Government has a crucial role to play in facilitating the transition through smart policies, incentives and investments in R&D. Industry, in partnership with academia, needs to turn its focus to developing new commercial-scale decarbonization technologies. And innovation and policy need to work hand-in-hand. Aviation is widely recognized as one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonize. Getting there is going to require action and investment across the public and private sectors and, quite frankly, that's not happening at the pace or scale we need.
但現實是,我們在自己的業務中可以採取的行動,或者我們在低利潤業務中可以吸收的投資規模,本身永遠是不夠的。政府在通過明智的政策、激勵措施和研發投資促進轉型方面發揮着至關重要的作用。工業界需要與學術界合作,將重點轉向開發新的商業規模的脫碳技術。創新和政策需要齊頭並進。航空業被廣泛認爲是最難實現脫碳的行業之一。實現這一目標需要公共和私營部門採取行動和投資,坦率地說,這並沒有以我們需要的速度或規模來實現。
Can you give an example?
你能舉個例子嗎?
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is a perfect example. American has a goal to use 10% SAF in 2030. In 2023, we used 2.7 million gallons of SAF - the most we've used in a single year - but it was still less than 1%. That wasn't for lack of trying. We've signed commitments with multiple SAF producers, at a premium, to try to secure supply and, in the case of Infinium, to help attract capital to bring a new, lower-carbon SAF technology to market sooner. But the volume of SAF available today and likely to be ready over the next several years is a tiny fraction of what's needed.
可持續航空燃料(SAF)就是一個很好的例子。美國的目標是到2030年使用10%的SAF。2023年,我們使用了270萬加侖的SAF,這是我們單年使用的最高水平,但仍不到1%。那不是因爲缺乏嘗試。我們已經與多家SAF生產商簽署了保費承諾,以努力確保供應,就Infinium而言,還將幫助吸引資金,以更快地將一種新的低碳SAF技術推向市場。但是,當今可用且可能在未來幾年內準備就緒的 SAF 數量只是所需量的一小部分。
Compared to other, not-yet-fully proven technologies to reduce the climate impacts of aviation, SAF is a no-brainer. It's a drop-in fuel, meaning it can be used by the aircraft flying today without modifications, that provides significant life cycle emission reductions. Scaling the SAF market so fuel is available at the volume and price needed to make a real dent in aviation's climate impacts - and to help American reach our climate goals - depends on bolder action by policymakers, increased investment by energy companies and more innovative financing approaches. We've seen progress - the recently enacted SAF blenders tax credit and similar efforts in states like Illinois are key steps forward - but we need more.
與其他尚未得到充分驗證的減少航空對氣候影響的技術相比,SAF不費吹灰之力。它是一種即用燃料,這意味着今天飛行的飛機無需改裝即可使用它,從而顯著減少了生命週期的排放。擴大SAF市場,使燃料能夠以真正減輕航空對氣候的影響,並幫助美國實現氣候目標所需的數量和價格,取決於決策者採取更大膽的行動、能源公司的投資增加以及更具創新性的融資方法。我們已經看到了進展——最近頒佈的SAF混合器稅收抵免和伊利諾伊州等州的類似舉措是向前邁出的關鍵一步——但我們需要更多。
The development of new, more fuel-efficient engines and airframes is another example. Game-changing technologies like hydrogen - which American is also helping advance - are expected to be important elements of the long-term solution for decarbonizing aviation. But to get from here to there, we need manufacturers to invest in the incremental but meaningful advances in airframe and engine technologies that can come online with the next generation of aircraft.
開發新的、更節油的發動機和機身是另一個例子。氫氣等改變遊戲規則的技術——美國也在幫助推進這種技術——預計將成爲航空脫碳長期解決方案的重要組成部分。但是,爲了從這裏走向那裏,我們需要製造商投資於下一代飛機可以實現的機身和發動機技術的漸進但有意義的進步。
It's a risk for me to come out and say that American's ability to achieve our 2030, 2035 and 2050 climate goals is in jeopardy. But in my mind, the bigger risk is failing to sound the alarm that there's an urgent need for more and faster action across the public and private sectors. American is doing its part, but we can't do it on our own.
出來說美國人實現2030年、2035年和2050年氣候目標的能力處於危險之中,這對我來說是一種風險。但在我看來,更大的風險是未能敲響警鐘,即公共和私營部門迫切需要採取更多、更快的行動。美國人正在儘自己的一份力量,但我們自己做不到。
Let's end on a positive note. What are you most proud of from the last year?
讓我們以積極的語氣結束吧。去年你最引以爲豪的是什麼?
That's easy. Our more than 140,000 team members. It's their hard work and dedication that will help us reach our goals - be that financial, operational or on climate. Thanks to them, I'm confident that we can.
這很簡單。我們的團隊成員超過 140,000 人。他們的辛勤工作和奉獻精神將幫助我們實現我們的目標,無論是財務、運營還是氣候目標。多虧了他們,我相信我們能做到。
Across every level of our organization, we seek out the broadest and most diverse pool of talent available because we know that opening the doors to opportunity benefits our business, allowing us to recruit the best and our team members to do their best work. We're investing in developing the talent we need while raising awareness of and expanding access to careers in aviation. This includes expanding our recruitment efforts and broadening our talent pool by creating opportunities for groups that have historically faced barriers to entering our industry to pursue the stable and rewarding careers it provides. Through the American Airlines Cadet Academy, for example, we're reducing financial obstacles for those seeking to become pilots while developing a pipeline for an in-demand role. And we're partnering with the Aviation Institute of Maintenance and other schools to provide direct career paths and mentorship for aspiring maintenance professionals.
在組織的各個層面,我們都在尋找最廣泛和最多樣化的人才庫,因爲我們知道打開機會之門有利於我們的業務,使我們能夠招募最優秀的人才,讓我們的團隊成員盡其所能。我們正在投資培養我們需要的人才,同時提高人們對航空業的認識並擴大其就業機會。這包括擴大我們的招聘工作和擴大我們的人才庫,爲歷來在進入我們行業時面臨障礙的群體創造機會,讓他們追求該行業提供的穩定而有回報的職業。例如,通過美國航空學員學院,我們正在爲尋求成爲飛行員的人減少財務障礙,同時爲需求旺盛的職位鋪平道路。我們還與航空維修學院和其他學校合作,爲有抱負的維修專業人員提供直接的職業發展道路和指導。
We also continue to invest in developing and recruiting great leaders across American. I am deeply proud and honored to have such a diverse and talented group of individuals with unmatched expertise in leadership roles throughout the company. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Our people are, and always will be, our greatest strength.
我們還繼續投資於培養和招募美國各地的優秀領導者。能有這樣一群多元化、才華橫溢的人才在整個公司擔任領導職務,我深感自豪和榮幸。我之前說過,我會再說一遍:我們的員工是,而且將永遠是我們最大的力量。
Robert Isom | Chief Executive Officer
羅伯特·伊索姆 | 首席執行官
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SOURCE: American Airlines
來源:美國航空