What began as some bad YouTube publicity for American Airlines is growing into an employee-led drive for change in brand positioning and corporate leadership at the legacy carrier.

It started when Gailen David, under the username SkySteward, began posting videos to YouTube starring himself, dressed in frumpy corporate drag, as “The Aluminum Lady,” an AA executive with a panache for cost-cutting and a disdain for flight attendants. In one video, “The Aluminum Lady” plays with Fisher-Price dolls dressed in blue uniforms, saying, “We can run each one of these aircraft with about three less flight attendants. It looks like it’s perfectly doable.”

An American spokesperson made a public statement against the videos and reportedly called David in for a disciplinary meeting that he did not attend.

“We all have tried to deliver such great customer service,” David said in an interview with NBC Dallas-Ft. Worth. “And in return, it feels like we keep getting kicked in the gut, so this was a time for me to do something to make us all laugh for a change and really say what needed to be said.” He added: “They may fire me for it, and that’s going to be OK.”

To say something like that in today’s economy, you have to just not care whether you have a job, or have a plan and a passion for what you are doing.

It turns out that for David, it is the latter. This week, he launched a “sAAve American Airlines” petition through Change.org, appealing to U.S. Bankruptcy Court for “…a new flight plan with a new leadership team made up of individuals with a proven track record of winning rather than years of compounded failures.”

David is no rookie in the social media world. He runs a website, DearSkySteward.com, about the airline industry with a special focus on in-flight etiquette, and currently has 22,825 followers on Twitter. The petition currently has close to 3,300 signatures, far from its target of 250,000.

We will leave it for someone else to judge how much and what kind of change is needed at American, which is in Chapter 11. But this developing story is an example of how social media can work for or against a company. Media-savvy David, often interviewed in the national press, could just as easily use his platform to make his employer look good—in fact, it seems like he still might, if he sees some of the changes he hopes for at the airline.

Video: YouTube

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Following through on its announcement earlier this year, Expedia is planning to spin off TripAdvisor later this month and began filing presentations today with the Securities & Exchange Commission that outline its growth prospects sans the popular hotel review site. So what’s in store for Expedia going forward? Read more: AllThingsD, Tnooz

Just in time for the holidays—and holiday travel—TripIt is now available for download on the Kindle Fire from the Amazon Appstore for Android. A recent survey conducted by the travel-planning company found that more than 40 percent of its users owned a Kindle. In additional TripIt news, the company now recognizes Global Videoconferenceing Network appointments. Read more: Tnooz

Social travel site Gogobot today unveiled a new app that integrates Flipboard, a social magazine application, enabling users to take a real-time stream of travel photos and experiences from across the globe and turn them into postcards that can be culled into a sort of DIY digital travel magazine. The app is available for iPhone, iPad and iTouch. Users can find Gogobot in the “Travel” section of Flipboard. Read more: Sacramento Bee (press release)

If you missed the news about Alec Baldwin being escorted off an American Airlines plane on Dec. 6 for bad passenger behavior—namely not abandoning his Words With Friends game and shutting down his electronic device when told and storming into the lavatory—then, well, you missed it. Good for you that you spend time on more important things besides celebrity gossip. But if you need a recap or want to know an update on the situation, check out The Washington Post. Seems Baldwin has ticked off Greyhound too (from CNN).

Other travel news/roundups of note:

Air Ticket Sales by U.S. Travel Agents are 6 Percent Ahead of Year-Over-Year (MarketWatch/press release)
Merger Planned Between Travel-Focused Ad Agencies: MMG Worldwide and Y Partnership (New York Times)
Free Airport Wi-Fi for Nintendo 3DS Users From Boingo Wireless (Gadling)
Top Travel News of 2011 (Budget Travel)
9 Essentials for Traveling With Tots (Today Travel)

Photo: Expedia

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After several months of increasing speculation by investors, the parent company of American Airlines, AMR Corporation, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection today. It is the last of the major U.S. carriers to do so, and the only one that didn’t turn a profit in 2010.

Rising jet-fuel prices and labor costs, combined with increased competition due to mergers of other carriers—pushing the once largest domestic carrier to the No. 3 slot—are the main reasons behind the filing. According to the Wall Street Journal, AMR stock stopped trading early on Monday and closed at $1.62, down 54 percent over the past three months.

What does this mean for travelers with American Airlines tickets and miles?

In the short-term, not much. According to a statement released by the Fort Worth, Texas-based company, AMR has $4.1 billion in cash to ensure the uninterrupted supply of goods and services, and will be conducting business as usual. The airline expects to:

• Provide safe and reliable service;
• Fly normal schedules;
• Honor tickets and reservations, and make exchanges and refunds as usual;
• Fully maintain AAdvantage frequent-flyer and other customer-service programs, and ensure all AAdvantage miles and elite status earned by members remain secure and intact;
• Provide Admirals Club access and similar amenities to members and eligible customers;
• Remain an integral member of the oneworld alliance, of which American is a founding member; and
• Continue its codeshare partnerships.

That noted, airlines in bankruptcy protection typically do tend to reduce their schedules while they try to regain their financial bearings, which could have long-term affects for certain destinations.

One short-term advantage for travelers is that after a Chapter 11 filing, the airline often offers substantial sales in an attempt to maintain customers who might be leery about flying on a bankrupt carrier.

Also, members of American’s AAdvantage frequent-flyer program should keep their eyes peeled for special deals too, such as even more offers bonus-point earnings or reduced miles for redemption, as the airline will want to make sure it keeps its most loyal customers during the restructuring.

In a separate announcement, the AMR board of directors has appointed Thomas W. Horton chairman, CEO and president of American Airlines, succeeding Gerard Arpey, who has decided to retire.

Photo: American Airlines

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The board of American Airlines’ parent, AMR Corp., has decided to split a massive order for new planes between Boeing and Airbus. The order has been intensely fought over by both companies, and a lot more is riding on it than just an order for 460 narrow-body, single-aisle planes—the largest aircraft order in aviation history.

Airbus A320neo

American has been an exclusive customer for Boeing since 1996, and any inroads Airbus makes is a win for them.

After its narrow-body A320neo stole the Paris Air Show, Airbus aggressively courted American and offered it a $6 billion financing package.

The offer included an arrangement where a group of leasing companies would lease 70 planes to American, and Airbus would directly lease another 70 planes to American. The rest of the planes would have to be purchased directly by AMR.

AMR apparently took this $6 billion financing offer to Boeing and asked them to make a counter-offer.

Now AMR has announced that American will benefit from a total of $13 billion of committed financing provided by the manufacturers through lease transactions that cover the first 230 deliveries.

Boeing also responded by agreeing to provide American 737s with modified and more fuel-efficient engines. If it can do this on American’s schedule, it addresses one of the key reasons that AMR was ditching Boeing for Airbus in the first place—the more efficient A320neo, which offers 15 percent fuel savings.

But it’s too little and too late, because the AMR board has announced that they will be splitting the baby between the two plane makers.

“This was an incredible opportunity for our company that presented itself from two great manufacturers,” said AMR and American Airlines chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey. “And, given our aggressive and ambitious fleet plans, we feel fortunate to have both Boeing and Airbus standing beside us to meet our needs.”

Under the new agreements, American plans to acquire a total of 200 additional aircraft from the 737 family, with options for another hundred 737-family aircraft. American has plans to acquire 42 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, to be delivered starting in late 2014, with options for 58 additional 787s.

American also will acquire a total of 260 Airbus aircraft from the A320 family and will have 365 options and purchase rights for additional aircraft.  This includes delivery of 130 A320 planes beginning 2013, and 130 A320neo (new engine option) planes beginning 2017.

“American’s order represents a strong vote of confidence in our product in the important North American market,” said Airbus president and CEO Tom Enders. “We are proud to renew our partnership with a company that has a long history of airline industry leadership.”

How this deal turns out is likely to make a big impact on the rest of the U.S. airline industry, with Delta ready to place an order by the end of the year. Southwest and United Continental Holdings are also mulling over placing new orders. If American is getting more fuel efficient single-aisle planes from both Airbus and Boeing, then the rest are going to want pretty much the same thing.

The point is that this deal commits Boeing to offering re-engineered 737s somewhere in 2018, instead of sticking with the original 737 for now and launching a completely new fuel-efficient replacement by 2020.

Airbus now has a firm foothold in the U.S. market, and Boeing will have to sweat hard to maintain the balance in the $1.7 trillion narrow-body jet sales estimated for the next 20 years.

Photo – Airbus

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