Running head: AMERICAN AIRLINES CSR

American Airlines Corporate Social Responsibility

Jake Toole
Bridgewater State University

Author Note
This paper was prepared for Professor Amantea COMM226-X01 Introduction to Public
Relations.
American Airlines Corporate Social Responsibility

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2
Introduction

American Airlines is one of the largest airline companies in the entire world. This papers
purpose is to provide the reader insight into the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of the
company. CSR is the commitment by a business to contribute to economic development while
improving the quality of life of their workforce and their families as well as of the community
and society. Addressing environmental issues and finding ways to provide charity are two
examples of American Airlines has created some great charity programs over the years and
continues to come up with new ones.
After researching American Airlines, much can be said about their initiatives outside of
the airline business. The work theyve done trying to better their company environmentally and
their work with charity are just a few examples.
Environmentally Friendly Initiatives
Tablets
Until recently, American Airlines used paper manuals for their flight attendants and pilots
to read through. In 2014, the company made the switch from paper manuals to electronic
manuals. They provided their crew with Samsung tablets which contained e-manuals and
allowed in-flight food and beverage sales to be made more easily. The tablets weigh less and
have saved the company over $1 million. The tablets also help the attendants see where each
person is seated and advises which customers have primary seating assisting with much better inflight service.
More weight on a plane requires more fuel usage to fly. By switch from paper to
electronic devices the airlines was able to get rid of the flight attendants 5-pound manuals and
the pilots 35-pound worth of paper materials. The reduction of the flight attendant manuals

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alone has saved American $650,000 in fuel costs. The reduction of the pilots paperwork has
saved the company $1.2million in fuel costs. The less fossil fuel consumption, the less emission
pollution is given off by the planes.
Fuel Smart Initiative
Since 2012, American Airlines has been taking measures to drastically reduce its fuel
usage as part of the Fuel Smart Initiative. In 2013 it was reported that the company was able to
reduce its fuel usage by 141 million gallons which exceeded their goal of 134 million gallons.
This accomplishment helped save the company $465 million in fuel costs. This way the company
was able to benefit the environment and themselves.
Saving so much fuel and money required many measures to be taken. One of the main
ways to reduce fuel usage is to reduce the weight carried as more weight creates more drag. The
more drag the plane experiences the more fuel it needs to compensate. Reducing the amount of
potable water on board and using lighter catering carts was one way the company reduced the
weight carried. These are small things when considering their use in only one plane, but
considering how much water and the amount of carts used on their fleet of over 4,000 planes, it
adds up significantly in the long run. If one pound were removed from every aircraft the
company owns, it would reduce the usage of fuel by 11,000 gallons each year.
Persevering fuel is not just about weight, finding other means to compensate for simple
function can also have a significant impact on fuel usage. Instead of manually driving the planes
into the planes hangers, American Airlines now uses tow tractors to bring them eliminating that
extra fuel usage. Instead of having of using a dual-engine plane taxi to transport passengers
transport over short distances, only single engine planes taxis are used reducing the original fuel

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usage by half of the amount. Each year American Airlines is finding more ways to reduce fuel
usage and reduce theyre carbon footprint.
Charitable Initiatives
Change for Good
UNICEF (United Nations International Childrens Emergency Fund) is an organization
established in 1946 to help children in need around the world. In 1994 American Airlines
partnered with UNICEF in 1994. On international flights, the crew will go around to all of
passengers and pass out a UNICEF labeled envelope towards the end of the flight. Passengers are
encouraged to donate any foreign currency that they will no longer need to the organization. The
donation does not necessarily have to be foreign, any form of currency would suffice, the idea is
that most passengers no longer have use for foreign currency and do not have any other use for
it. In addition to currency, American Airlines encourages passengers to donate their frequent flier
miles gained through their AAdvantage miles program.
Champion for Children
Champion for Children is a volunteer program created exclusively for American Airlines
employees to give back to society created in 2006. Employees are encouraged to do whatever
they can to better the lives of children in need around the world. One such example involves
flight attendant Beth Callahans trip to Bolivia.
Beth worked with community activists from around the world to help better the lives of
the less fortunate children in Bolivia. She worked at a hospital that focused on caring for women
who eere in need of assistance with maternal health and breast-feeding. Many of the women that
Beth worked with had never seen a doctor before. Through American Airlines and UNICEF,

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Beth is just one of the many examples of employees making a difference in the world through
volunteering.
Conclusion
American Airlines proves time and again that it is much more than an airline. The
company is not one that simply transports passengers from one place to the next and takes your
money. This company is dedicated to giving back to the world in so many ways and it is coming
up with more ways every year. Whether it be collecting money for the less fortunate or
volunteering, American Airlines shows time and again how much it cares about the needs of
others. With the topic of global warming and pollution always on everyones minds, American
constantly makes strides to better the environment. Making changes within the company and
outside for the better of the world is what separates this airline from the rest.

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References
Chicago Business. (2015) American Revamps Its Frequent Flier Program. Retrieved from
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20151117/NEWS10/151119849/americanrevamps-its-frequent-flier-program
Clancy, Heather. (2012) AmericanAirlinesFliesPastFuelConservationGoal.Retrieved
from http://www.zdnet.com/article/american-airlines-flies-past-fuel-conservation-goal/
Reuters. (2014) AmericanAirlinesScrapsPaperManualsforTabletstoCutFuelCosts.
Retrieved from http://www.cnbc.com/2014/09/11/american-airlines-scraps-papermanuals-for-tablets-to-cut-fuel-costs
Seymour, Chris. (2014) CSR Awards: Environmental Stewardship. Retrieved from
http://www.prnewsonline.com/awards/2014-csr-awards-environmental-stewardship
UNICEF (2015). UNICEFs Change For Good Program on American Airlines Goes to Bolivia.
Retrieved from https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/unicefs-change-good-programamerican-airlines-goes-bolivia/23706 & Social
Networking, 14(12), 705-709. doi:10.1089/cyber.2010.0492 (Cited #13-Article in
a Journal)