#INTHEAIREVERYWHERE

Carmen Taylor
Managing Director
American Airlines Latin America Division

     That morning I was flying to YVR for a "final" interview...I had applied for the position of Latin America regional manager for oneworld...at that time oneworld was headquartered in YVR...obviously my flight never took off...(was scheduled to leave DFW at 8:30am, CST...). As a side note, I am a member of AA's CARE program (Customer Assistance Response Employee) . . . this means that while at the airport waiting for my flight that never took off, I identified myself as a CARE member and was immediately 'deployed' at DFW Control Centre where I worked for 48 hours straight..
     That day and the days that followed were the toughest days of my entire life! It was very hard for me to accept that anyone on this planet would want to harm a nation who has supported so many countries during our history to make sure everyone lived in peace. So many lives and families in many countries had been saved over the years at the expense of American lives and to think that 'foreigners' wanted to harm the USA was such a 'crime'. 'My' America was being attacked . . . this beautiful and generous country that has opened its arms to so many of us and has given us a quality of life no other country has been willing to extend.
     This event affected all of us . . . the way we live, the way we think and behave..our jobs! A big impact on the transportation industry including cargo, the main impact is a significant increase in costs to both carriers and shippers.
     Everyone - carriers, freight forwarders, shippers understand the necessity of security and the investment needed from all of us.
     Air cargo is going to require a more and deeper collaboration involving all parties.