CHICAGO - American Airlines employees that used to dial 1-800-AA-CARTY to hear a message from their CEO may be in for a big surprise now that Gerard Arpey has taken over.
1-800-AA-ARPEY currently leads callers to a sex hotline.
So what will the world's largest airline do to relay information to employees?
"We obviously will not use that number," said American spokeswoman Tara Baten.
American employees had grown accustomed to dialing in to the hotline to hear occasional messages and words of encouragement from Don Carty, the former head of their company. Their colleagues at other airlines have similar CEO hotlines.
Baten said American is still reviewing whether it will continue to have a hotline at all. The airline also sends a daily e-mail to employees and has a monthly employee newsletter that appears on the company's internal Web site.
"I'm sure that Mr. Arpey wants to ensure that American has the best employee communications programs and processes available," Baten said.
It is unlikely, though, that Arpey's communication with employees will be as colorful as the "fantasy talk" that the sex hotline promises.
