 “In many ways, at AA Cargo we have our version of a “Chaos Manager.
“When I joined the cargo division at the time of the US Airways–American Airlines merger in late 2013, I was tasked with building the Cargo Customer Experience department from the ground up.
“One of our core responsibilities has always been to manage whatever chaos comes our way, whether it’s a shipment delay, a routing disruption or an unexpected operational challenge.”
The speaker is Eric Mathieu Managing Director of Customer Experience at American Airlines Cargo.
As the most important air cargo conference opens today in Miami at the Miami Convention Center, here comes an up close and personal few minutes, sharing a smart literate look inside American’s air cargo enterprise from a true veteran and connoisseur of the form.
Eric
began his career at US Airways and today with a smile and no shortness of elan opens up the heartline to what makes really makes those familiar words “Customer Service” work.
GA: You probably hold one of the most difficult positions with regard to the required level of compliance. Your career indicates a strong bond with the customer. At times we see that customers’ needs and a strong compliance culture seem to stand at either ends of the company’s interests. How do you manage to conciliate these two strong and unavoidable facets so successfully in your job?
EM: Balancing compliance and customer-centricity is one of the most challenging aspects of my role. I approach it by seeing these two priorities not as opposing forces, but as complementary pillars of trust.
Compliance ensures we operate with integrity and protect our customers, while customer focus ensures we deliver value and build lasting relationships.
The key is transparency and collaboration. I make sure customers understand the ‘why’ behind compliance requirements and work with internal teams to find solutions that meet regulatory standards without compromising service quality. It’s about listening deeply, communicating clearly and being creative within the boundaries we have.
Ultimately, compliance and customer care share the same goal: safeguarding the customer experience and the company’s reputation. When framed that way, they become partners rather than competitors.
GA: From a certain point of view, you also oversee one of the most important positions in the company. How important is cultural diversity in your strategy? Secondly, it seems to be difficult for airlines to think of cargo at the same level as passengers in terms of strategy and importance, what about American’s view on this?
EM: Cultural diversity is central to our strategy. In a global industry like ours, diversity isn’t just a value, it is a competitive advantage. Different perspectives drive innovation, help us understand customers across markets and allow us to anticipate needs.
For me, diversity is about creating an environment where every voice matters and where collaboration across cultures leads to better decisions and stronger results. At American Airlines, we regularly hold team member engagement events promoting diversity. It also reflects the reality of our customers who come from every corner of the world, and our team should mirror that richness.
Secondly, at American, cargo is a core part of our business strategy. While passenger operations are highly visible, cargo plays an equally critical role in our network and profitability. It’s not just about filling space; it’s about connecting global supply chains, supporting commerce and enabling customers to move goods reliably and efficiently. That’s why we invest in technology, infrastructure and customer experience for cargo with the same rigor we apply to passenger services.
GA: Looking back . . . The arrangements for the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines represents one of the largest logistics operations ever, but can we say that the operation managed to stand on its feet from an economic point of view, or was just the benefit for American from the image point of view that justified the investment?
EM: The COVID-19 vaccine distribution was one of the most complex logistics operations in history, and for us, it was never just about economics; it was about responsibility. It was about leveraging our expertise and global network to support a critical moment for humanity.
The visibility and trust we earned were significant, but that wasn’t the driver. Our investment was guided by purpose: ensuring vaccines reached communities safely and quickly, and that the integrity of the product was safe guarded along the way. This was about doing the right thing while demonstrating the strength and reliability transporting critical temperature-controlled shipments.
GA: Ever experienced or observed something that happened from an accident to service delivery, to something you might have wanted to prevent that happened anyway that could be described as unusual, or unexplained in air cargo?
EM: As one of the largest airlines in the world, operating an extensive global network and transporting a wide range of complex commodities every day, we recognize that not everything always goes exactly as planned. Air cargo is a dynamic and intricate operation. Navigating weather disruptions, regulatory
constraints and the sheer diversity of shipments can sometimes lead to unexpected challenges.
There have certainly been moments where something unusual or unexplained occurred—whether it was a delay caused by an unforeseen mechanical issue, a misrouted shipment due to a rare system glitch, or a situation we wished we could have prevented but couldn’t due to external factors.
What truly defines us, however, is not the occurrence of these events, but the speed and precision with which we recover. Our ability to quickly coordinate across teams, communicate transparently with our customers and take corrective action is what makes the difference. It’s in those moments that our commitment to reliability, care and customer experience shines through.
We view every challenge as an opportunity to learn, improve, and reinforce the trust our customers place in us.
GA: Have you ever considered that someone or maybe more than one team member at American should be designated Chaos Manager? Or maybe that should be added to your title?
EM: As I stated before, one of our core responsibilities has always been to manage whatever chaos comes our way.
Today, that mission is carried out by a dedicated team of over 60 professionals strategically located across our network. Their sole focus is the recovery of shipments that don’t travel as planned. They’re supported by four major cargo contact centers, each based in a different country, allowing us to respond quickly and effectively no matter where the issue arises.
While we may not officially call anyone a “Chaos Manager,” the spirit of that role is alive in our team’s daily work. It’s their agility, coordination and commitment to customer communication that turns disruption into resolution, and that’s what truly makes the difference.
Geoffrey Arend |
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Vol. 24 No. 44
Vol. 24 No. 46
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