Fort Worth-based American Airlines is planning to slash hundreds of jobs across North Texas.
The air carrier announced Monday that it was eliminating 656 jobs, or about 8% of the company’s workforce, amid a reshuffling of its customer service team, Bloomberg reported. Of the 656 total layoffs, 321 jobs will be lost in Dallas-Fort Worth and 335 will be eliminated in Phoenix.
Employees responsible for overseeing customer relations, central baggage resolution, and the AAdvantage loyalty program service groups are the ones that will be impacted by the layoffs.
“Today, we announced updates to our contact center organization that will help us better serve our customers. As part of these updates, we are creating a new Customer Success team that will be dedicated to providing more convenient, elevated support to American Airlines customers with some of their most complex travel needs,” the airline said in a statement, reported USA Today.
By consolidating its customer service staff into a single team, the company said it will be able to provide travelers with “an even higher level of support in the future,” reported NBC 5 DFW.
The carrier’s new Customer Success team will be comprised of 135 positions dedicated to providing enhanced convenience and elevated support to travelers, according to Carolyne Truelove, vice president of reservations and service recovery.
One reason for the customer service reorganization is due to American Airlines reporting a 17% drop in contact volume in 2023 compared to the previous year, per Bloomberg.
Employees affected by the layoffs will have until March 30 to apply for one of the 135 available Customer Success positions. American Airlines employees who are not hired for the new team will have an opportunity to apply for one of 800 open jobs elsewhere in the company.
Employees who do not accept a position elsewhere in the company will be offered severance and job placement support, according to American Airlines.
The Dallas Express reached out to American Airlines for a statement regarding the layoffs in DFW but did not immediately hear back.