Gary Kennedy, general counsel of American Airlines between 2003 and 2013. Kennedy had his dream job in what he calls “the sexiest industry in the world.”

His time there was anything but a smooth ride. Kennedy told Corporate Counsel in an interview that from the moment he took the job in 2003 until he retired in 2013, the company was buffeted by crisis after crisis, with the legal department doing much of the navigating.

Recently Kennedy’s book, “Twelve Years of Turbulence,” arrived in bookstores telling the inside story of the airline’s fight for survival. Some research and editing for the book was done by former Dallas Morning News aviation reporter Terry Maxon, while former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, a former AA board member, wrote the foreword.

Show Highlights:

Gary shares his 9/11 experience with American Airlines.One of our first confirmations was a phone call from a flight attendant on the plane. - Gary KennedyAn important and difficult decision was made to ground all planes right away. - Gary KennedyThe aviation system was shut down for 3 or 4 days entirely. - Gary KennedyPeople did not trust they could fly and fly safely. - Gary KennedyBy 2002, American airlines was loosing 30million dollars a day.- Gary KennedyWe were faced with one problem after the other. - Gary Kennedy

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