New American Airlines cargo head pledges ‘seamless transition’

   American Airlines and US Airways have officially merged, taking American Airlines name, and the carrier’s top cargo brass has also made the switch.
   Kenji Hashimoto, who took over for longtime cargo head Dave Brooks upon his retirement in May 2012, has moved on to become the senior vice president of regional carriers. Jim Butler, who has been with American as the managing director of commercial planning and performance, takes up the role of president of AA Cargo. 
   In a letter to customers, Butler pledged to hit the ground running and said the two carriers will operated as separate entities for the time being. He added that business will continue as normal and that he expects to see no changes in operations “for the next several months,” though plans to integrate the two carriers are well under way.
   “As we transition to become one airline, we are committed to delivering the best customer service you have come to expect,” Butler wrote. “Our cargo team has been working long hours, for quite some time now, to ensure we deliver a seamless transition as we build on the foundations already established at American and US Airways.”
   More broadly, carrier representatives have said customers will start to see changes in January as a result of the merger, but these will likely be only on the passenger side.