"But I definitely see us playing a major role in St. Louis in the years to come. We already provide service to 95 percent of the markets St. Louis travelers visit the most. And we're adding capacity in some of the most important markets"
About this Quote
A corporate love letter to a city, written in the language of route maps and market share. Gerard Arpey isn’t trying to inspire St. Louis so much as reassure it - and, just as importantly, reassure investors and regulators - that the airline’s presence isn’t a fleeting post-merger whim. The first clause (“I definitely see us”) is a soft pledge: personal conviction standing in for a binding commitment. It signals stability without promising anything enforceable.
The numbers do the real work. “95 percent” is meant to feel like inevitability, a near-monopoly of relevance. It reframes dominance as service: we already take you where you want to go, so of course we “belong” here. That’s a classic corporate move, turning concentration into convenience, control into care. “Markets St. Louis travelers visit the most” also subtly narrows the argument to the profitable core; it implies that the airline’s definition of civic partnership is identical to the city’s highest-yield demand.
Then comes the quiet assertion of leverage: “adding capacity in some of the most important markets.” Capacity sounds neutral, even generous, but it’s also a negotiating tool - the ability to expand or withhold flights, jobs, gates, and attention. In the background is a familiar American airline story: hub competition, consolidation anxieties, and a city’s fear of being downsized on a spreadsheet. Arpey’s intent is to preempt that fear with a controlled optimism, offering St. Louis a future as long as it aligns with the airline’s strategic definition of “important.”
The numbers do the real work. “95 percent” is meant to feel like inevitability, a near-monopoly of relevance. It reframes dominance as service: we already take you where you want to go, so of course we “belong” here. That’s a classic corporate move, turning concentration into convenience, control into care. “Markets St. Louis travelers visit the most” also subtly narrows the argument to the profitable core; it implies that the airline’s definition of civic partnership is identical to the city’s highest-yield demand.
Then comes the quiet assertion of leverage: “adding capacity in some of the most important markets.” Capacity sounds neutral, even generous, but it’s also a negotiating tool - the ability to expand or withhold flights, jobs, gates, and attention. In the background is a familiar American airline story: hub competition, consolidation anxieties, and a city’s fear of being downsized on a spreadsheet. Arpey’s intent is to preempt that fear with a controlled optimism, offering St. Louis a future as long as it aligns with the airline’s strategic definition of “important.”
Quote Details
| Topic | Vision & Strategy |
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