As Managing Director of Urban and Community Relations for American
Airlines, part of Laugh Phillips’s responsibilities include recruiting
students for employment, developing the concept of ethnotourism, and
building relations with Black colleges and universities. He recently
sat down with Black Issues to discuss these and other aspects of
specialization in the fastest growing industry in America.
You’ve just returned from interviewing students for employment with American Airlines. What’s your impression of them?
I had particular interest in the African American students because
of the keen competition for the sharp ones. For example, one of the
interviewees from the University of Maryland was just outstanding. He
had immersed himself a year ago in the Italian culture and he took a
six-month direct immersion into the Italian culture to learn the
language, and was particularly interested in the arts. He was just
extremely articulate, and had an in-depth grip and understanding of the
industry from a marketing perspective as well as the elements that are
of keen interest to the airlines, and that is the cost-side. I was just
blown away by him.
Another student, a young female from Southern Methodist, had some
industry experience from the sales and marketing perspective and she
was just absolutely on the money with regards to the anticipated
changes that are coming in the industry. The amount of research that
each one of the kids did on American Airlines, on the industry, and on
some of the individuals who are running the business prior to coming to
this interview was just incredible.
Do you think that these kids were aberrations?
It is my sense that they are typical of students who are fully
focused on what they want to achieve. Now I hasten to add that there
are some who are not as focused.
You mean, the ones who are just looking for a job.
