Ali Preissinger leads the development team producing all web-based training and media for American Airlines’ cabin crew members. In this position, she heads the project to upgrade and expand the virtual reality training program. AA began including virtual reality as a part of its Flight Attendant Initial Qualification Program in 2018. The system recently received a technology upgrade, and Ali is in the process of working to expand the use of virtual reality in other areas of AA’s cabin crew training program. Studies conducted on AA’s use of virtual reality for initial cabin crew training show an increase in scores for learners that use virtual reality training versus those that do not for door operation training. While managing this project, Ali discovered the limitations and advantages of utilizing virtual reality for cabin crew training. She is passionate about sharing lessons learned and training outcomes to support effective training solutions across all industries.

Ali has worked in the media, technology, and training fields for over 20 years. She is a United States Air Force veteran, and she worked on the Tech Ops training team in a previous role at American Airlines. In that position, Ali was instrumental in creating the first lesson plans for AA’s aircraft maintenance training virtual reality program as it was spun up. Ali holds a Master of Science degree in Learning Technologies, Instructional Design (University of North Texas) and Bachelor of Science degrees in both Computer Science (University of Arkansas Grantham) and Web Design & Interactive Media (The Art Institute of Pittsburgh). She is also qualified as a flight attendant.