How American Airlines Elevates Employee Operations with Optimal
Global aviation leader
American Airlines, a global aviation leader, has transformed its internal operations by prioritizing employee-centered digital experiences. Navigating the complexities of airline management requires seamless information systems, and American Airlines has partnered with Optimal to reimagine how their team members access and utilize critical resources. This collaboration has fundamentally changed how the airline structures operational knowledge and creates intuitive digital touchpoints for their multifaceted workforce.
Challenge: Navigating the Information Maze
American Airlines faced significant challenges in organizing and delivering critical information across its vast workforce. With thousands of employees spanning flight crews, ground staff, and administrative personnel, the airline needed to develop intuitive information systems that would serve diverse operational needs while maintaining consistency.
Additionally, the company needed to enhance several key employee-facing platforms including JetNet, know.aa.com, and the Team Member Service Center, ensuring streamlined experiences for both frontline workers and administrative staff.
Solution: Designing the Perfect Information Highway
American Airlines implemented Optimal's platform to address these organizational challenges with precision:
- For their internal knowledge hub (know.aa.com), American Airlines conducted specialized card sorting exercises where employees organized reference materials into logical categories. This approach helped restructure their operational information beyond traditional departmental silos, focusing on how employees actually search for and use critical information in their daily workflows.
- For their employee intranet portal (JetNet), American Airlines deployed first-click testing to evaluate the navigation efficiency of both web and mobile app interfaces. This approach helped them assess how effectively team members could access essential tools and information, with the explicit goal to improve daily operational efficiency.
Results: Metrics That Matter
American Airlines' strategic use of Optimal’s platform delivered tangible results:
- The card sorting exercises for know.aa.com revealed distinct information access patterns among different employee groups, enabling American Airlines to create role-specific information architecture that decreased time spent searching for critical operational information.
- By focusing research on the MindTouch knowledge management platform's policy categorization, American Airlines gained unique insights into how policy information organization influences compliance and decision-making among team members.
- The first-click testing for the JetNet portal identified navigation pain points that, once resolved, streamlined access to essential tools for frontline staff. This improvement reduced operational delays and enhanced employee satisfaction.
Flying Toward Long-Term Success
American Airlines' investment in information architecture research continues to deliver sustained benefits:
- The refined categorization systems have improved employee self-service capabilities, leading to more efficient operations and reduced dependency on support teams across international operations.
- The optimized Team Member Service Center has strengthened HR support relationships, making resource access more intuitive and contributing to improved employee retention in a competitive industry.
- Continuous refinement of employee-facing interfaces—including the critical Crew Check-In app used by flight attendants—has established a culture of evidence-based improvement, where user feedback directly shapes platform evolution.
American Airlines' case demonstrates how sophisticated UX insights transform internal information systems from basic utilities to strategic operational advantages, directly impacting workforce efficiency, compliance, and ultimately, customer service quality in the demanding commercial aviation industry.
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