American Airlines plans to lay off 656 employees in its customer support department as it consolidates into one team.
In total, 335 employees in Phoenix and another 321 in Dallas-Fort Worth who are part of the company's AAdvantage Customer Service, Customer Relations and Central Baggage Resolution groups will be laid off, the Texas-based carrier told FOX Business.
Those groups fall under American's Service Recovery Team, which is dedicated to helping resolve customer issues after travel has occurred, such as lost or damaged baggage or loyalty program issues. This team is not involved in the reservations process.
Currently, if a customer has multiple issues, they have to reach out to multiple teams to handle each issue separately. The goal of the new Customer Success team is to eliminate the pain of having to reach out to multiple teams, according to American.
The team "will be dedicated to providing more convenient, elevated support to American Airlines customers with some of their most complex travel needs," the carrier said.
LOS ANGELES TIMES, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED AMONG MEDIA OUTLETS ANNOUNCING LAYOFFS TO START 2024
Meanwhile, the company plans to send some of its easier inquiries – like a minor issue with a seat – to its international teams, so they can resolve them more quickly and offer 24/7 support.
The carrier said it is working closely with impacted team members to support them through the transition and is offering them "exclusive access to job openings throughout American Airlines."
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There are more than 800 roles for which they may be eligible to apply. Those who do not find a job elsewhere in the company will be offered severance,
American is the latest company to cut its workforce within the first month of the year. The Los Angeles Times, Citigroup, Amazon, Google and Google's parent company, Alphabet, have all laid off workers this year.
