The American Eagle: The Ascent of Bob Crandall and American Airlines

Dan Reed writes an organized and balanced story of American Airlines and the company's president, Robert Crandall. Bob Crandall was a innovative leader in the marketing and operation of United State's airlines. Crandall used the SABRE computerized system of reservartions, the practice of gathering passengers in regional "hub" airports to fill big planes operating between major hubs and the frequent flyer programs to build American Airlines the nation's first airline during the years following the 1978 de-regulation of tha airline industry. This is an exciting book which correctly predicted in 1993, that the great period of airline innovation may be ending. The only shortcoming in the book is that it was published too soon. In the fall of 1993, American's flight attendants went on strike which symbolized the real end of the period of turmoil and innovation which this book had predicted.