ECS · Crew Operations and Communication

A digital communication system for the Integrated Operations Center that cut call volume by 46%.

The ECS mobile app for crew members shown in front of the ECS desktop dashboard used by Integrated Operations Center staff

Overview

Crew schedulers and trackers at the Integrated Operations Center relied on manual phone calls and outdated communication channels to fulfill operational requests, creating delays and risk across a system supporting more than 40,000 crew members. The team built ECS as the first step toward a unified crew member experience platform, working with flight crew unions, crew members and the Integrated Operations Center to build a strong foundation for that vision. My team delivered this in partnership with product teams and with minimal oversight from me, which is what the systems I've built are designed to make possible.

Objectives

Reduce time to handle operational requests, addressing the inefficiency of one-at-a-time phone communication
Increase the efficiency of route changes by minimizing communication bottlenecks that contribute to operational risk
Reduce call volume to the IOC by pilots, establishing ECS as the primary channel of communication between the IOC and crew

Discover and Define

The team partnered directly with the Integrated Operations Center to understand crew workflows, running a design thinking workshop with schedulers, trackers and product and IT stakeholders to remove conflicting assumptions about what a better system would actually look like. Service blueprints clarified system behavior across more than 40,000 crew members, surfacing exactly where operational requests were breaking down and why call volume to the IOC had grown unsustainable.

A team member standing at a whiteboard covered in handwritten notes mapping crew member workflows
Crew member workflows
An IOC team member working at a desk with three monitors and a keyboard
IOC workflows

Design and Deliver

The team simplified complex crew interactions into a straightforward, functional design, tested directly with crew members on the go and IOC staff managing dense, content-heavy workflows. Iterative testing on the floor of the IOC surfaced quick wins the team could implement immediately, and the redesigned prioritization tools gave IOC members the ability to target urgent requests directly, rather than working through calls one at a time.

Three ECS mobile app screens showing a crew member's flight details, schedule and contact options
Straightforward, functional design
Crew members and IOC staff testing the ECS design together at a workstation
Tests reveal quick solutions
ECS desktop view showing a crew member's schedule beside a list of open requests
Dense, integrated experience

Outcomes

46.2%
reduction in average monthly IOC call volume, all users
50%
reduction in pilot calls to the IOC since ECS launched
28%
flight attendant call reduction
Line chart of monthly call volume to the IOC across all users, January 2024 to September 2025. Volume averages about 20,300 before the ECS launch and about 10,900 after, a 46.2% reduction.
Monthly IOC call volume across all users, January 2024 through September 2025.

Built by the American Airlines UX, Product and Integrated Operations Center teams, operating under the design and research standards established across Becky Sherman's organization.

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