Gerard Arpey

Gerard Arpey
Born	July 26, 1958 New York City, New York[1]
Alma mater	University of Texas at Austin
Occupation	Former Chairman, President and CEO of AMR Corporation
Religion	Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod[2]
Spouse(s)	Lisa Walsh (m. 1980s–present)
Children	3[3]

Gerard J. Arpey (born 26 July 1958) is the former Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AMR Corporation, parent company to American Airlines.^[4]

Career

Gerard J. Arpey was elected Chairman of AMR Corporation and American Airlines, Inc. in May 2004. Arpey had been President and Chief Executive Officer of AMR and American, since April 2003, when he was first elected a member of the Board of Directors of both companies. Prior to that, he had served as President and Chief Operating Officer of AMR and American since April 2002.

Arpey led a global organization that included American Airlines, American Eagle and AmericanConnection, serving approximately 250 cities in 40 countries and territories around the world. During Arpey's tenure the combined network offered, on average, more than 3,400 flights a day with nearly 900 aircraft.

It was under his leadership, or lack of, American Airlines went downhill and eventually filed bankruptcy protection. Many employees felt betrayed and the aftermath remained years after his retirement.

Before his appointment as President and COO, Arpey served as American’s Executive Vice President of Operations, Senior Vice President of Finance and Planning, as well as its Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Planning.

Arpey married Lisa Walsh from Sherman, Texas in the 1980s.

As Executive Vice President of Operations, Arpey was responsible for American’s worldwide flight operations including Maintenance and Engineering, Flight Department, Operations Planning, Purchasing, Corporate Real Estate, AA Cargo and American Eagle.

As the company’s chief finance and planning executive, Arpey directed the corporation’s strategic planning activities, including its scheduling, fleet planning and airline partnership activities. As Chief Financial Officer, he was responsible for the corporation’s finance functions including the Financial Planning, Treasury, Accounting, Corporate Development, and Investor Relations groups.

Arpey joined American Airlines in 1982 as a Financial Analyst. He held numerous management positions during his career at American, including Managing Director of Airline Profitability Analysis, Managing Director of Financial Analysis and Fleet Planning, and Managing Director of Financial Planning. He became a corporate officer in 1989, when he was elected Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis.

Arpey announced his retirement on November 29, 2011, coinciding with the bankruptcy filing of American Airlines parent AMR. He was succeeded by Thomas W. Horton.^[5] Some airline industry analysts suggested that Arpey did long-term damage to AMR by not filing for Chapter 11 protection earlier on, something he refused to implement on moral grounds as the process of bankruptcy was intended for the purpose of decreasing pension and other financial obligations made to employees.^[6][7] Arpey declined requests by both the AMR board and Horton to stay on in some management capacity because of his unwillingness to work under a bankruptcy scenario.^[8] As per his contract, Arpey did not receive any severance upon retirement.^[8]

On Dec 1, 2011 Arpey joined Emerald Creek Group, LLC as a Partner.^[9] Arpey is a member of the Board of Directors of S. C. Johnson & Son. He is also a member of The Business Council and involved in a variety of civic organizations.

Arpey received a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in 1980 and an MBA in 1982, both from the University of Texas at Austin. He also holds a FAA Multi-Engine Instrument Pilot Rating and is an avid private pilot.

September 11, 2001

Arpey was Executive Vice President of Operations at the time of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in which American Airlines lost two planes. Arpey made the decision to ground all American Airlines flights in Northeast USA and then across the US before the FAA.^[10]

References

1. "Gerard J. Arpey". Investopedia. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
2. "Arpey & Waiser: Balancing Faith and Work" (PDF). Concordia University. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
3. "Gerard Arpey". Notable Names Database (NNDB). Soylent Communications. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
4. The Oklahoma Daily, December 29, 2009
5. "American Airlines Parent AMR Files Bankruptcy; Horton Named CEO". Sfgate.com. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
6. "American and Why Different Didn't Work". BusinessWeek. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
7. Lindsay, D. Michael (2011-11-30). "At American Airlines A Departing CEO's Moral Stand". NewYorkTimes. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
8. De, Michael J. (2011-11-29). "For AMR's Now-Former Chief, a Long Career Felled by Chapter 11 - NYTimes.com". Dealbook.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
9. PR Newswire. "Gerard J. Arpey Joins Emerald Creek Group As A Partner". TheStreet. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
10. Weitzer, M., & Greenberg, P. (Producer). (2006). Inside American Airlines: A week in the life, Television series, CNBC, Inc..

External links

• Gerard Arpey's Executive Bio on aa.com
• August 2004 interview with St. Louis Commerce Magazine