American shows off expanded LV reservations center

Monday, Oct. 18, 1999 | 12:43 p.m.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman took the ceremonial first call at American Airlines' newly revamped regional reservations office Friday.

After proudly telling the caller that he was mayor and that he was answering the call as part of the festivities of American putting the 28,000-square-foot facility into service, he put down the headset in stunned silence.

He said the call came from a little boy who had been separated from his parents at Los Angeles International Airport. Supervisors took charge and immediately went to work uniting the youngster with his family.

"This job is too tough for me," Goodman said with an uneasy laugh. "I quit."

Dealing with such emergencies is part of the job for the 400 people who are trained to take more than 6 million calls a year at American's Las Vegas reservations office, one of seven in the Dallas-based airline's system.

American said the Las Vegas office, open daily from 6 a.m. to midnight, is the second smallest in the system, but it will take about 20 percent of the company's domestic calls when fully staffed. Eventually, the office will also be capable of taking AAdvantage calls, fielding questions on the company's frequent-flier program.

American is an international carrier with a large presence in Central and South America and the Caribbean, but Las Vegas doesn't take overseas calls.

The airline took over the office when it completed its acquisition of Reno Air Aug. 31. When Reno Air handed the office off, it had 310 employees.

Most Reno Air reservations operators made the switch to American and had an additional three weeks of training to learn some systems and policies exclusive to American.

American has installed a new communications link between Las Vegas and the company's Tucson, Ariz., reservations office to better balance call flow. It also sank $2 million in improvements into the office, the most noticeable being the installation of 266 new sit-or-stand work stations. The stations raise or lower desks, monitors and keyboards to give operators a choice of sitting or standing while taking calls.

Other improvements include expanded training and meeting facilities. New employees get six weeks of instruction before taking calls. The first class under the American system just completed its training and is on the job. American's Las Vegas reservation center payroll is estimated at $7 million.

Sally Gilroy-Roff, an American employee since 1964, is manager of the facility in the McCarran Business Center, 500 E. Warm Springs Road.

Friday's opening featured facility tours and speeches by American executives and Goodman.

"The Las Vegas reservations office is taking its place as an important element in American's U.S. operations and a focal point for American's continuing expansion in the West," said Mike Gunn, American's senior vice president of marketing. "As it does, the office will also help American play a larger role in the Las Vegas economy, creating quality jobs for committed employees and, along with our expanded operations at McCarran Airport, attracting ever more visitors to this vibrant and growing area."

Goodman credited the reservation center as being "the lifeline to the lifeblood of the community," noting that the number of visitors who come to Las Vegas is growing at a rapid pace and those tourists are what make the city tick.

American now operates 28 jet flights a day to seven cities and another five flights daily to Los Angeles aboard American Eagle, the company's commuter partner. Reno Air had 23 daily flights when it ended operations.

Through the Reno Air acquisition, American expanded its route structure in the West, adding 182 flights a day on 23 routes with Reno Air's 25 twin-engine MD-80 and MD-90 jets.

American seeks to be a player in a market dominated by Southwest and United airlines and hopes to duplicate United's strategy of moving passengers from its western network to long-haul and international flights.

American continues to operate its frequent-flier program in conjunction with the MGM Grand hotel-casino. Hotel guests get airline mileage credits for purchases and gambling at the casino.