This isn’t exactly of CIA-KGB proportions, but American Airlines has sued an ex-employee who publishes The Sky Steward blog and unidentified current airline employees who allegedly are conspiring with him.
The suit alleges that the employees furnished the blogger with confidential flight information about current and former executives.
The suit seeks damages from Gailen David, the blogger and former American Airlines purser who was fired in March, and  one to 10 John Doe defendants, current American Airlines employees, who allegedy accessed through the Sabre system a passenger list and other confidential information about executives’ travels and provided them to David.
The suit also alleges that David has violated American Airlines trademarks through ownership of www.sAAveAA.com and posts such as AA Sixth Floor Gossip Extra: Skiing with AA’s Almost Rich and FAAmous in Vail!
Among David’s and the John Does’ alleged transgressions, the suit says David published details about the travel plans of Don Carty, ex-chairman and CEO at American Airlines and current chairman of Virgin America, and his wife, with the blogger claiming he got the information from his “DFW mole.”
The suit also cites a Sky Steward post about the flight plans of American Airlines executive Peter Dolara, ”according to my mole in Special Services,” and the following about unidentified American Airlines executives:
The executives on flight 2598 were flying on A-passes which can actually bump revenue passengers … Two AA elite AAdvantage passengers were denied upgrades in order to accommodate the AA executive jet-setters.
Most of these posts are directed at what David sees as the privileged and offensive flight habits of current and former American Airlines’ executives.
The Sky Steward posts claim to represent the true feelings of American Airlines rank-and-file employees and a petition on the site asks the judge overseeing the American Airlines bankruptcy proceeding to select new leadership for the airline in a bid to reinvent it and provide job protections for employees.
David’s counsel has not yet answered the American Airlines complaint, filed April 10 in the District Court of Tarrant County, but in a Tnooz interview, David says he never accessed flight information from the Sabre system, and although he boasted about “moles” working for the airline for “entertainment purposes,” there actually are none.
“They are trying to make it look sneaky,” David says. “I would never access computers like that.”
David adds: “They [American Airlines] will wish they wouldn’t have pressed this because it is going to be embarrassing to American Airlines.”
David won’t say where he obtained the confidential information about American Airlines executives.
David says, however, “I was given a lot of clearance,” pointing to a former role at the airline as a member of its purser advisory board. “A lot of information was always furnished to me because I was designing a training program training people on how to use AAdvantage.”
About his alleged use of American Airlines trademarks, David says he writes “snarky” posts and “parodies,” and vows he will “absolutely” continue blogging about the airline.
The airline alleges that David and the John Does are conspiring to disclose confidential information. The suit alleges:
“Since defendant David’s termination, based on information and belief, he continues to conspire with, and be aided by Defendant Does in accessing, using and disclosing American’s confidential information from the Sabre system.”
In a side note, in what may be illustrative about the state of social media and public relations, The Sky Steward states correctly that American Airlines’ public relations firm, Weber Shandwick, owns the URL TomHortonSucks.com  in an apparent preemptive blow against someone else getting it.
Tom Horton is American Airlines’ chairman and CEO.
David writes, however, that he has secured another URL, also disparaging, about the American Airlines CEO.
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Good for Mr. David! It’s about time that someone exposes the corruption at the top. Sounds like Whistleblowing and Retaliation. AA was not thinking when they filed this lawsuit because now everything will be public record. They are just beside themselves because he knows too much and YES, they are known for bumping Full Fare First Class Passengers at their leisure whenever they want to fly anywhere.Their families can do the same thing and the perks are for a lifetime.
What the public does not know is that these thieves at the top have 8 lavish, multimilliondollar homes purchased for their exclusive use by the AA employees, AMR shareholders who now hold worthless stock, the paying passengers and the US taxpayers. One home is in London/Kensington and is on one of the most expensive streets in the world. $30 Million just for that one house. Unlimited expense accounts, lavish car leases, tax free housing allowances for their personal homes, private jet leases (G5′s) and parties fit for a Sultan. Hundreds of millions of dollars in “bonuses” for failure when they call it “retention bonuses for talent”. Executive health plans with no copayments, no caps, no premiums…for life.
A great gig and better than being a mobster. Would like the US Attorney to go after all of them like Madoff, Boesky, Hemsley and Kozlowski. Prison time is all that they will understand.
No wonder they want to shut Gailen up. It’s one thing if the company is profitable. Totally another when they steal from the employees and everyone else. The US taxpayers should be outraged!
American Airlines should be ashamed of themselves! Bumping paying customers so that these executives and their families can sit in 1st class is wrong! Maybe it’s time the for the airline to get it’s priorities together and stop wasting money they don’t have on suing someone who speaks the truth! AA used to be known as one of the best airlines, but now most people see it as an organization that only cares about their top brass…
Could not have said it any better, SanibelSweetie!!!! I hope Mr. David goes down in history as ‘The one who changed corporate greed with his whistle blowing and awesome talent, compassion, and most of all guts!!!!! You go, Gailen David!!!!!!
Is there truth that they are considering limiting A4 travel? Supposedly it would be limited just like D1 travel is. Seniors would get only 2 RT per yr for personal A4. This would save a lot of revenue by freeing up positive space seats, most of them in first. This sounds like a good savings idea.
I’m so pissed @ AMR right now, it’s cost me my life savings. I bought into the misleading BS in 2011 about the One World Alliance, airport upgrades, and American Eagle spin off share matching. 3200 shares of worthless stock! I feel like a god damn idiot! I’m sure I’ll cash out in the next few days before the APA vote goes through. However at this point, I’ll barely have enough to cover a cremation for after I blow my brains out in the street! A year ago, I had my funeral paid for, some money in the bank, and a chance to leave my nieces and nephews something. Now, I have the biggest financial loss I’ve ever had. A fool and his money, yup! I’m an ignorant dreamer!
Bravo…. it’s about time someone speaks up for the front line which are the ones with the real knowledge of all the wrongs !!