American Airlines unions demand chief executive ‘must go’

British Airways’ transatlantic partner American Airlines faces a growing crisis after unions representing pilots and cabin crew demanded the resignation or firing of chief executive Robert Isom.

 

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents 28,000 American Airlines cabin crew, declared its board and members have “no confidence” in Isom after he dismissed reports of crew sleeping on airport floors during recent disruption due to storms as “part of the job”

 

The union described Isom as “tone deaf” and the airline as in a “relentless downward spiral” with “weak financial results, operational failures and a flawed strategy”. 

 

It catalogued “ongoing chaotic and mismanaged operations, service inconsistencies and declining customer trust”.

 

The carrier was forced to cancel almost 6,800 flights, more than 40% of its schedule, between January 23 and January 28 owing to disruption during and after a fierce winter storm.

 

Union president Julie Hedrick hit out over “operational failures that have frontline workers sleeping on floors” and said: “This level of failure begins at the very top, with Robert Isom.”

 

Separately, the Allied Pilots Association which represents American Airlines’ flight crew, wrote to the carrier’s board of directors on February 6 accusing management of “persistent patterns of operational, cultural and strategic shortcomings”.

 

It accused the airline of “underperforming” and “a failure to define a strategy to correct course” and called for “decisive action”, pointing out: “While our competitors’ market capitalisation has soared, American’s has soured.”

 

The pilots’ union wrote: “Leadership must change the culture of this airline . . . and restore pride across the organisation.”

 

American Airlines recorded an operating profit of $1.47 billion for 2025 but lagged behind rivals Delta Air Lines which reported an operating profit of $5.8 billion and United Airlines with $4.7 billion.

 

The unions slammed Isom for a series of mistakes, including the withdrawal of most fares from global distribution systems in 2023-24 as it sought to drive bookings via ‘direct connect’ and online-enabled New Distribution Capability (NDC) channels.

 

Isom performed an abrupt U-turn on the distribution strategy in June 2024, admitting: “Our approach has driven customers away from American.”

 

The move cost the airline an estimated $1.5 billion in 2024 alone.

 

American Airlines declined to comment.