Gerard Arpey's elevation to the chief executive job at American Airlines came two years ago this month in inauspicious circumstances. The airline unions were in uproar over a retention deal for executives that had been hidden from workers as they voted on $1.6bn of cuts.

His path to the top began in late April in a gloomy basement room at the Hyatt hotel at Dallas Fort Worth airport, near American's headquarters. In the room were four congressmen - on hand as political go-betweens - union representatives and four senior executives. The aim was to cut a labour deal to avert an imminent bankruptcy filing.