American Airlines Internal Memo Today

[Ambush Master]

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SPECIAL JETWIRE FOR SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2005

PUBLISHED BY CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS
E-MAIL: JETWIRE@AA.COM

PLEASE POST ON ALL BULLETIN BOARDS

---AMERICAN FLYING KATRINA RELIEF MISSIONS OVER LABOR DAY WEEKEND--- All-Volunteer Crews Operate Flights to New Orleans

American Airlines dispatched three aircraft to New Orleans Saturday - all of them manned by volunteer crews - to pick up flood victims and fly them to Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.

American will fly similar missions Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Each MD80 aircraft will make two trips each day for a total of 24 trips. More than 3,000 flood victims are expected to be flown out of the stricken city as a result of American's four-day operation.

Captain Al M., who oversees American's daily flight operations and is coordinating all of American's flying with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said everyone who works the flight is a volunteer.
"From the mechanic to the ramp worker to the pilots and flight attendants --- they are all volunteers, " the Captain said. "We've got a long list of American employees wanting to help in the effort."

American's airport manager in New Orleans, Tina M-- who was airlifted out of New Orleans on Tuesday when American flew the first rescue mission into the Louie Armstrong International Airport -- was on the first flight Saturday to oversee the ground operation there.
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[Bill Harsey]

Very cool news AM.

Just a question, are the owners and management of American more Republican or Democrat?

I've been reading about how none of the "wealthy Bush supporters" are helping with the disaster in the south.

[Roycroft201]

That's a class act on the part of American and the volunteer employees who are making it happen.

Thanks, AM, and thanks for sharing that memo.

RC201

[uboat509]

I heard something disturbing today and I was wondering if it was true. I heard that even after the airport in NO was closed to outgoing traffic due to the impending storm, they continued to accept incoming traffic for several hours. I would like to believe that this is not true, does anybody know if it is or not?

SFC W

[The Reaper]

I heard something disturbing today and I was wondering if it was true. I heard that even after the airport in NO was closed to outgoing traffic due to the impending storm, they continued to accept incoming traffic for several hours. I would like to believe that this is not true, does anybody know if it is or not?

SFC W

I doubt it.

It would jeopardize planes to fly them into a storm and leave them there.

TR

[Ambush Master]

Hi there- I know y'all and your employers too are helping the victims of the hurricane. Since you may not have a first hand account of your generosity and it's effects, I thought you might want to read a flight attendant's account of her trip into New Orleans to help on a day off, hence her title:
No Pay, No Credit, No Problem
Date: Mon, 05 Sep 2005
From: Carol
To: My Friends and F"AA"mily

Yesterday, Sunday 4 September I flew one of AAL's Relief Flights into
MSY (NewOrleans) and out to LBB (Lubbock). It was an experience I won't soon forget
for lots and lots of reasons. We were scheduled to fly to MSY, pick up
evacuees and take them to CRP (Corpus Christi) and then ferry (the empty plane) home.
The minute to minute situation was so fluid that by the time the day
was over, three AAL flights had taken their passengers to LBB instead
of CRP.

We arrived MSY around 1000 AM Sunday. I was lucky to be able to sit in
the cockpit for landing, able to see the airport, the smoke rising
from the city itself on the horizon, and to smell the swampy water
beneath us on final approach. The tremendous amount of helicopter
activity all around the airport immediately reminded me of scenes of
Viet Nam, and there were airplanes from everywhere waiting for gates.
Southwest, ATA! , Spirit, United, United States Navy were among the
carriers that I recognized. Then there were a multitude of my all
time favorite, the C-130 from various ANG units from around the
country.

We had a short wait for a gate (yup, some things never change) and
then were guided in by volunteer AAL ground people. We were met by...Tom Del Valle, VP
U.S./Canada Division, Customer Service and briefed on the current
situation. There were *NO* passengers.....the lines from yesterday
had disappeared but everyone was hopeful we'd find 100 + people in a
few hours and head out. Tom gave us the layout of the airport and
told us we were free to enter the terminal. He pointed out that a
large part of the terminal was a medical triage and emergency
treatment area, and the baggage claim area was a temporary morgue and
probably not where we wanted to wander around.

We knew we had time to wander around, so with a few of the AAL
volunteer g! round folks we all took off. Several of us wanted to see
the arrival area, on the other side of the terminal. Walking under
the terminal we came upon a scene (and sounds) I will never forget. A
helicopter LZ (landing zone) where 3-4 helicopters from all branches
of the service were landing at any time, unloading the "walking
wounded"..sometimes only 1 or 2 out of each chopper, sometimes groups
of 6 or so. Each helicopter was met by it's own medical team and a
tug with airline baggage carts in tow. The evacuees were loaded on
the baggage carts and taken inside to the Triage area.

Around the corner, just before the Triage area I found Veterinary
volunteers with the few stray dogs that had been brought in so far on
choppers. We had some dog and cat food on board with us (Thanks to F/A
Patty), and I offered it, but these wonderful folks said they
had been amply supplied by Tulane Vet School and were fine.

Finally after about a! 4 hour ground time, we were ready to board. Five
FAM's (Federal Air Marshals) came on to brief us. They would travel
with us to LBB. They were in civilian clothes with both their badges
and weapons on display. They briefed us regarding the security
situation in MSY, the fact that few if any of these passengers had
identification, there was great concern that we would have actual
released convicts on board since the jails had not evacuated their
inmates, rather they just released them. When the lines had formed
Saturday to get into the airport, many many of these folks had
surrendered their weapons before being searched. The line was so long
that if people needed to use rest room facilities, they did *not* do
so for if they left the line they lost their place, so they urinated
and defecated on the ground or in their clothes. There were many
women who had no sanitary products so there might be odor or staining
from this. The goo! d news was that we would also be taking 22 AAL
Volunteers back home to DFW with us, via LBB.

And then we boarded. 5-6 wheelchairs, one 500 lb. man on Oxygen, lots
of families, one dog, one cat in the cargo hold, 4 or 5 large folks
who needed seatbelt extensions. No one needed just *one* seatbelt
extension, most needed 2 and our largest passenger needed 3.
Out of our 100 evacuees, my guess is that only 10 or so had flown before.
There were several older couples who were evidently tourists caught
up in the "evacuation situation" and all they wanted was to get to a
ticket counter anywhere and buy a ticket home. Most of the New
Orleanians were in this for the long haul, and many many asked me as
we boarded "Where are we going ??" They were so grateful to be out of
the horrible conditions in the City, they blindly boarded our
Aircraft and trusted us to take them somewhere safe. AMAZING to say
the least.

We departed ! for Lubbock. How far is Lubbock from Houston ?? Austin ??
My family evacuated to San Antonio. And we had no answers for them.
We had box lunches and the highlight of my day was having VP Tom Del
Valle helping me on the cart with the lunches. We had soft drinks and
juices. And then we landed an hour and a half later, and they were
gone. And every single person that went past me on their way to the
back door and stairs said "Thank You" ~~ Every single one of them ~~
Carried off by medics, unloaded down a belt loader from the front
door, helped down the stairs by all of us (and I am ever so grateful
for each and every AAL employee who was traveling with us for their
overwhelming help).

The plane was then searched by the FAM's. assisted by the AAL
volunteers for contraband or weapons left behind. A local Explosive
sniffing dog came on board and made sure nothing was left behind. We
closed the doors and left. And I am still try! ing to sort out my
feelings about the whole experience. I would not have missed this day
and yet, if asked, I am not sure I could do it again.

My heartfelt thanks to the crew I worked with:...
and our own personal mechanic for the day.

And the other AAL Volunteers whose names I do not know, and Tom Del
Valle for heading up our company effort and doing so with so much
heart and soul.

Thanks for reading and caring,