In A Rare Moment, A Major Airline CEO Praises The Reporters Who Covered Him

As he conducted his final earnings call as American Airlines CEO last week, Doug Parker showed emotions rarely heard in such venues. Not only did he express sentimentality, which is somewhat rare, but also it was directed towards reporters, which is extremely rare.

Parker has long been an intriguing CEO, his corporate leadership and financial stratagems interspersed with earnestness and personal warmth.

Reporters are often demonized. This is particularly common today, in their most visible role, covering politics in a divided country. In the case of White House reporters, no matter your politics, watching them ask questions can be excruciating. Many are the subjects of their own coverage.

Most reporters aren’t like that. They gather information and report it. This is almost always the case in the heavily covered airline industry. At the same time, subjects of coverage rarely praise reporters publicly.

In this context, Parker’s comments were touching.

In the first few minutes of his opening remarks, Parker offered “a couple of quick thank yous,” starting with sell-side analysts and reporters. “I’ve done my best throughout my career to treat you with the respect you deserve and to give you access in the community you need to do your jobs well. And you’ve all been extremely fair to me, which I really appreciate. “

Here Parker named three analysts – Paul Karos, Candace Browning and Sam Buttrick – as well as three reporters – Terry Maxon of the Dallas Morning News, and Susan Carey and Scott McCartney of the Wall Street Journal.

Parker made it clear he was naming only retirees. That way, he didn’t have to select among people who are still working. The three reporters he named were respected not just by him but also by their peers.

The most sentimental point in the call came at the end, when Dawn Gilbertson of USA Today asked the final question. At one time Gilbertson, who has covered airlines for about 26 years, covered hometown Phoenix airline America West for The Arizona Republic. At America West, Parker built a management team that, through acquisitions, came to run the largest airline in the world.

Gilbertson asked questions about ticket expiration dates and also about the long wait times on calls to American reservations. Three executives provided answers before Parker spoke, in what turned out to be his final remarks on his last call as CEO

He said, “Dawn, before you sign off, with everyone listening in, you would have absolutely been in my prepared remarks (but)you’re still on the line,” a reference apparently to not wanting to single out reporters who are still working.

Then he noted that Gilbertson covered America West. Then he said, “Of all the articles that have risen to the level that I’ve chosen to actually hang on to, more of them have a Dawn Gilbertson byline than anybody else.”

It was poignant, that Parker selected that moment to look back on how he started and on the reporter who was there when he did.

There is s a moderately long list of things Doug Parker did wrong. There is a longer list of things he did right. His last earnings call was one of them.