GERARD J. ARPEY
RETIRED CHAIRMAN AND CEO
AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC.
Gerard J. Arpey retired as Chairman of AMR Corporation and
American Airlines, Inc. in November 2011.
Arpey was elected Chairman of AMR Coporation 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 lead a global organization that includes American Airlines, American Eagle and
AmericanConnection, serving approximately 250 cities in 40 countries and territories
around the world. The combined network offers, on average, more than 3,400 flights a
day with nearly 900 aircraft.
Before his appointment as President and COO, Arpey served as the 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.
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 has 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 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.
Arpey is a member of the Board of Directors of S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc. (A Family
Company). He is also a member of The Business Council and involved in a variety of
civic organizations.