American Airlines has promoted Kevin Brickner, currently Vice President of Safety and Operations Integration as well as the airline’s certificated Director of Safety, to Senior Vice President of Technical Operations. Brickner takes over the role from David Seymour, who was named Senior Vice President of Integrated Operations in 2016. Kevin will be responsible for overseeing line and base maintenance; engineering, planning and production support for airframes, engines and components; and aircraft supply chain operations, among many other responsibilities. American has promoted Capt. Ron Thomas to Vice President of Safety to assume Brickner’s previous position.
“Kevin has a strong background in both safety and technical operations, and I’m confident in his ability to lead the company’s Tech Ops initiatives as we continue to focus on improving our operations,” said Seymour. “It was important to appoint someone to this position who is well-versed in the intricacies of our aircraft maintenance programs and processes and who possesses the knowledge, experience and leadership skills to develop strategies that ensure the safety and reliability of our aircraft. Those qualities, combined with Kevin’s overall commitment to our customers and team members, make him a perfect fit for this role.”
Brickner started his career as an engineer with General Electric before joining the airline in 1996, and has held several key leadership positions within Technical Operations. In 2009, he was promoted to Vice President of Technical Services, leading the Tech Ops Planning, engineering and quality teams. In his most current role, he was responsible for overseeing the airline’s overall safety strategy.
Brickner graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration.
. Transitioning into the position that Brickner is vacating, Thomas will be responsible for driving the airline’s safety strategy as well as overseeing safety and regulatory compliance programs throughout the airline and the airline’s environmental sustainability program.
Thomas joined the airline in 1987 as a Boeing 727 flight engineer, and, for many years oversaw the airline’s flight technical operations. He was instrumental in the integration of regulatory-related processes and systems related to the American-US Airways merger, and, in his most recent role as Managing Director of Flight Operations, oversaw the operations of all the airline’s mainline flights and was responsible for developing and maintaining Flight policies, procedures and the safety management system.
“Ron will continue to build on the robust safety culture that Kevin and his team have cultivated,” said Seymour. “His lengthy career as an aviator and safety professional, coupled with his commitment to the open and transparent sharing of information among all airlines, the FAA and the other safety organizations worldwide, make him the ideal leader to make sure our team members have full support in running a safe operation for our customers and each other.”
Thomas graduated from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical/Aerospace.
Both will both report to Seymour.