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HRO TODAY MAGAZINE | MARCH 2014
Cover Story
Piloting Success
Cindy Fiedelman worked to ensure the cultural differences
between American Airlines and US Airways didn't plague the merger.
Mission accomplished.
By Russ Banham
As anyone who has participated in a corporate merger
or acquisition will attest, all the work leading up to
the transaction pales in comparison to the post-merger
integration tasks. At the new American Airlines, which
merged with US Airways in December, a key consideration
is blending two very different cultures from a combined
workforce standpoint, says Cindy A. Fiedelman, vice
president, people and diversity, at the Fort Worth, Texas-
based air carrier.
This significant challenge adds to the many other daunting
post-merger integrations among airline carriers, one of
the tougher industries to smoothly align two companies
after the ink is dry on the contract. There are various
labor agreements to consider, as well as different aircraft
