Working amid a turbulent few decades in the airline industry (theatlantic.com)
August 24, 2016
By Adrienne Green
Over 32 years at American Airlines, Paul Mozeak has witnessed a merger, a bankruptcy, and a new approach to airport security.
When Paul Mozeak started working at American Airlines, one of the largest carriers in the country, as a part-time baggage handler, he had no idea that he’d be at the company for 32 years. In his career, he has witnessed firsthand some of the many changes to the aviation industry in the past few decades: pay and hiring freezes; the bankruptcy filing of American’s parent company in 2011; a recently completed merger with US Airways two years in the making; the revamping of security protocol after the 9/11 terrorist attacks; and the introduction of new technologies, such as hand-held devices that can tell if the aircraft is overweight.
I recently spoke to Mozeak—now one of the three American Airlines crew chiefs overseeing the fleet service crew at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York—about his work, how he’s managed to stay with one company throughout the turmoil, and all the places his family has been able to travel because of his job. The interview that follows has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Read the whole interview here>>
Tags: airport staff, aviation workers, baggage handler, rapid change, USA