American Airlines pilots share serious warning
Mainstream airlines have generally fared much better than low-cost ones in the current economy. Still, American Airlines has had a particularly challenging last year.
At the end of January, the Dallas-based airline posted 2025 earnings of just $111 million or 16 cents per share in a report that missed analyst expectations of 34 to 38 cents. The carrier’s total profit took a large hit from the travel disruption that came as a result of government shutdown lasting throughout October and November; compared to 2024, net profit fell by nearly 87%.
In an environment guided by poor morale and the looming fear of job cuts following hundreds of such layoffs on the corporate end last November, the unions representing both pilots and flight attendants working for the airline both sent letters criticizing the leadership of CEO Robert Isom over the last few days.
Pilots’ association says American Airlines’ “failure begins at the very top”
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) representing more than 28,000 flight attendants working for the airline also unanimously passed a formal no-confidence vote.
In a resolution that passed Feb. 9, the APFA classifies Isom’s leadership as a “relentless downward spiral” that needs to be met with “decisive action” to improve American’s course.
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“From abysmal profits earned to operational failures that have front-line workers sleeping on floors, this airline must course-correct before it falls even further behind,” APFA President Julie Hedrick said in a release announcing the vote. “This level of failure begins at the very top with CEO Robert Isom.”
The letter draws attention to the fact that, while competitors such as Delta Air Lines and United Airlines both reported strong profits, American Airlines had a string of weak quarters at a time when Isom earned a compensation package that totaled $13.2 million for 2025.
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“A company that should be thriving”: Pressure on American Airlines CEO mounts
While the vote or the letter does not expressly call for Isom’s removal, the vote is still historic in that it is the first such measure taken by the union in the airline’s history.
A letter from the Allied Pilots Association (APA) representing the airline’s more than 16,000 pilots delivered a similar letter to leadership on Feb. 6, stating that its members had “lost confidence in management’s ability to course correct.”
APA is also requesting a meeting in which they can present these concerns to American Airlines’ board. Ipsom’s response offers “an opportunity to address […] the specifics” by meeting with union representatives, but does not offer a chance to go in front of the board, according to View from the Wing.
Neither the letter nor the publicly-available responses offer any specifics regarding requested changes.
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“Leadership must change the culture of this airline, define American’s business identity, develop a strategy to not just improve but to outperform our competitors, and restore pride across the organization,” the pilot’s letter read.
“Anything less will result in the continued deterioration of the American Airlines brand.”
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