AA anticipates post-merger single AOC by Q2 2015

American Airlines chief operating officer Robert Isom has stated that AA anticipates receiving approval for a single operating certificate during the second quarter of 2015, as the carrier’s integration with US Airways continues to move forward.

The published target is the first time that an executive from AA has provided any specific guidance for the actual operational integration of the two carriers.

Isom said: “I can actually see pieces of the plan all the way up to the ninth revision cycle that are already at work. It just gives me great confidence that we’re going to hit the targets that we want to.”

The “ninth revision cycle” is the final step in the phased approach that AA has formulated in order to receive a single AOC from the FAA.

According to Isom, the carrier is “firmly” in the fourth cycle, with aspects of the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth cycles underway.

Isom added: “The approach that we’ve used is – there’s no big bang, there’s no light switch. We want to have everyone trained up on both sides of the house so that our operating policies, procedures, everything that involves operating an aircraft safely… are all identical, mirror images at the time of single operating certificate.”

The single AOC is a major milestone towards fully integrating American Airlines and US Airways. Other significant milestones yet to come include moving to a single reservations system, and reaching joint labour agreements.