American Airlines recently ushered in a number of new hires to its corporate communications team, which had been affected by departures from mid- to high-level managers and directors earlier this year.

"It was pretty rare for us, at least in that number," says Roger Frizzell, VP of corporate communications. "People tend not to leave the airline business. There's been a shift in the industry. Momentum is building and that impacts employers like us because our folks ...