Doug Parker, Chairman and CEO at American Airlines Group, managed to share an incredible amount of information during his morning keynote – speaking in rapid, clear tones and responding to questions with wit and intellect, and a little touch of humor and good-natured banter. It wasn’t difficult to imagine how he rose to his current position at American Airlines. And his optimism about American Airlines and the industry, as a whole, was contagious.

"There has never been a better time to work in our industry and there has never been a better time to fly," said Parker. "It is an exciting time for U.S. airlines.. .following many years of uncertainty."

American Airlines has been making some radical changes to enable and encourage its growth – both as an airline and as a positive place to work. Now serving more than 260 airports in North America, American Airlines is employing a fairly new concept, where they are focusing first and foremost on the team. There have been substantial pay increases and more than 10,000 people have been hired in the past three years. "We do positive surprises too," said Parker. "Things that they never thought would happen," such as mid-contract pay increases. We had gotten to the point where the team members didn’t trust the leaders, said Parker, so American Airlines is working to turn that around.

Parker’s responses to questions were to-the-point, offered solutions and were honest, even when faced with the daunting ones, such as PFCs and ATCs. And, while his view on passenger facility charges wasn’t what many in the room shared, he didn’t shy away. "We are just not going to agree ... My view is that PFCs are not needed." When it came to airport traffic control, he said, "There is no reason NOT to do it. We are going to keep fighting on this. The longer we wait, the worse it gets." He suggested forming a nonprofit as a possible solution. As far as the pilot shortage issue, he said, "It is real. There is no doubt about it." And, while he didn’t have a definitive answer to the problem, he seemed confident that economics would fix it.

He also addressed some other hot topics, such as privatization, technology in the industry, ultra low cost carriers, and co-locating airlines. But, it was his answer to a question from a student that made everyone put on their thinking caps. "Know that the day you start working with people, those people are going to matter to you. " He stressed the importance of relationships, and mentioned that someone he had met earlier in his career was impactful later on in his career path. His advice to the aspiring student was to continue on the path he was already on, and "to get teams of people to work together."

Following Parker’s speech, Candace McGraw, CEO of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, headed to the podium to introduce the Downes Award winner, Herb Kelleher. After watching the touching and insightful video that CNN created about Kelleher, it was clear that this award could not have gone to a more -deserving recipient. The applause he received as he walked to the podium was thunderous. "There is nothing I can say that is not downhill from there," laughed Kelleher about the video. "I was totally surprised and completely overjoyed to hear about the Downes Award....When I perused the list of previous recipients, it made me feel like a little flea on an elephant’s neck compared to the others. But, I am proud of the company I am keeping." He thanked all the workers at Southwest Airlines, too: "They do all the work and I get all the credit. They are the only reason I am here. "