10 American Airlines customer service leaders
Kimberly Cisek, Vice President Global Contact Centers and Service Recovery, heads this list of American Airlines customer service leaders, who also lead international reservations, service recovery, customer operations and airport customer care. A reader can learn how customer service leaders work at American Airlines from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
Daniel Santiago
LinkedInExperience: Director of Customer Care · American Airlines
Daniel Santiago has been Director of Customer Care at American Airlines since October 2023, based in Dallas, and describes relocating to the airline's largest operational hub to stabilize performance. At American Airlines, Daniel Santiago was also Director Customer Operation/Care from 2020 to 2023 and Senior Manager Customer Care from 2017 to 2020.
Denise Ridge
LinkedInExperience: Managing Director Customer Operations- CLT · American Airlines
Denise Ridge has been Managing Director Customer Operations- CLT at American Airlines since May 2026, based in the Charlotte area, and was Managing Director Customer Care- ORD there from 2023 to 2026. Denise Ridge was also Assistant Director Of Operations at Miami International Airport from 2022 to 2023 and Deputy Director Aviation Customer Service at Massachusetts Port Authority from 2019 to 2022.
Felix A. Olmo
LinkedInExperience: Director Customer Care · American Airlines
Felix A. Olmo has been Director Customer Care at American Airlines since July 2018, with the role described as Director Customer Care, New York LaGuardia. At American Airlines, Felix A. Olmo was also Senior Manager from 2014 to 2018, General Manager from 2012 to 2014 and Manager Customer Care from 2004 to 2008.
John Romantic
LinkedInExperience: Managing Director, Service Recovery · American Airlines Group
John Romantic has been Managing Director, Service Recovery at American Airlines Group since August 2010, based in Glendale, Arizona. John Romantic was Director, Customer Relations & Central Baggage Resolution at US Airways (now American Airlines) from 2007 to 2010 and Manager, Airport Services there in a role that ended in 2008.
Kimberly Cisek
LinkedInExperience: Vice President Global Contact Centers and Service Recovery · American Airlines
Kimberly Cisek has been Vice President Global Contact Centers and Service Recovery at American Airlines since June 2025, based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. At American Airlines, Kimberly Cisek was also Vice President Customer Experience and Product Management from 2022 to 2025, Managing Director Customer Experience Innovation & Delivery from 2019 to 2022 and Director Of Customer Relations from 2017 to 2019.
Lori Stewart
LinkedInExperience: Managing Director, International Reservations · American Airlines
Lori Stewart has been Managing Director, International Reservations at American Airlines since December 2023 and also Managing Director, Business Partner Performance there since May 2025, based in Fort Worth, Texas. Lori Stewart was Director Customer Experience / International Reservations at American Airlines from 2014 to 2023 and describes a background in the contact-center business.
Malinda Patino
LinkedInExperience: Managing Director · American Airlines
Malinda Patino has been Managing Director at American Airlines since November 2009, based in Colleyville, Texas, and the profile headline reads Managing Director DFW Customer Care. Malinda Patino describes managing a workforce of over nine hundred employees, and was Manager Passenger Service at American Airlines from 2004 to 2007.
Nisha Maharaj
LinkedInExperience: Director Customer Care · American Airlines
Nisha Maharaj has been Director Customer Care at American Airlines since December 2025, in a role based in Charlotte, North Carolina. At American Airlines, Nisha Maharaj was also Senior Manager Intl & Landside Ops in 2025, Senior Manager Training Strategy from 2020 to 2024 and Senior Manager Customer Experience from 2014 to 2019.
Ralph Hasbun
LinkedInExperience: Managing Director Customer Operations · American Airlines
Ralph Hasbun has been Managing Director Customer Operations at American Airlines since September 2024, based in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area. At American Airlines, Ralph Hasbun was also Managing Director Customer Care from 2020 to 2024, Director Customer Care from 2019 to 2020 and Sr. Manager Customer Operations from 2016 to 2019.
Vanessa Hardy-Bowen
LinkedInExperience: Director of Service Recovery · American Airlines
Vanessa Hardy-Bowen has been Director of Service Recovery at American Airlines since July 2026, based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and describes helping lead American Airlines' Service Recovery and Customer Relations strategy. Vanessa Hardy-Bowen was Director of Guest Care & Contact Centers at Spirit Airlines from 2018 to 2026.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's area, such as contact centers, reservations, service recovery or customer care at a hub airport, to the decision you face. Check each person's dates and current title, since the timing of a role shapes what the person can speak to.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01What did you focus on first when you took on your customer service role at American Airlines?
- 02How do you decide what to resolve in contact centers and what to resolve at the airport when travel is disrupted?
- 03What has your own work taught you about setting up service recovery so that customers feel heard?
Reaching American Airlines customer service leaders
How can I contact one of these American Airlines customer service leaders?
Pick one of the 10 people on this page and choose "Book a paid call", or describe your project to find others. You offer a fee for a 15-minute call or a written answer, Instant Expert finds the person's work email and sends the invitation, and they decide whether to accept. The list covers 2 companies: American Airlines and American Airlines Group, based on profile data retrieved on October 25, 2026. Being listed here doesn't mean someone has agreed to take calls.
How much does it cost to reach American Airlines customer service leaders?
You choose the offer, starting at $5 per person. The offer is what the person receives, and Instant Expert's fee is added on top, so a $100 offer costs you $125. The fee is 20% of what you pay. You're charged only when the person books the call or sends the answer.
What if they don't reply?
You pay nothing. Instant Expert sends follow-up reminders, and if the person hasn't booked or answered within 7 days, the request expires and any hold on your card is released. You can invite several of the 10 people on this list at once and cap your total spend, so you pay only for the ones who accept.
Can an AI agent ask one of these American Airlines customer service leaders a question?
Yes. An agent with a USDC wallet on Base can ask one question without an Instant Expert account. It names the person, for example by the LinkedIn URL on this page, and pays per ask over x402 (HTTP 402). The person answers in writing or by voice note, and if nobody answers within 7 days, the payment goes back to the wallet automatically. Claude and ChatGPT can do the same through the Instant Expert connector: setup is at /docs/mcp for Claude and /docs/chatgpt for ChatGPT. x402 docs
About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.