Focus: American Airlines unions ratchet up pressure on board over lagging profit

Core Viewpoint - American Airlines is facing increased pressure from its unions regarding its lagging profitability compared to Delta and United Airlines, leading to demands for accountability and potential leadership changes [1]. Profitability Concerns - American Airlines has generated $352 million in adjusted pretax profit for 2025, significantly lower than Delta's approximately $5 billion and United's $4.6 billion [1]. - The airline's shares have decreased by about 10% over the past year, while Delta and United have seen gains of approximately 14% and 12%, respectively [1]. - Unions attribute worker frustration to the profit gap and smaller profit-sharing payouts, with some crew members receiving as little as $150 in profit-sharing for 2025 [1]. Union Actions - The pilots' union has urged the board to take decisive action and requested a meeting with the full board, while the flight attendants' union has issued a no-confidence vote in CEO Robert Isom [1]. - The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) has called for accountability and leadership change, planning a protest outside American's headquarters [1]. Operational Challenges - American Airlines has faced operational issues, including a winter storm in January that led to widespread flight cancellations, highlighting weaknesses in its recovery system [1]. - Data indicates that American's reliability has lagged behind key competitors, with the highest cancellation rate among major airlines [1]. Future Outlook - American Airlines aims to improve its profitability by investing in premium products and operational reliability, with expectations to cut debt to under $35 billion by 2026 [1]. - Analysts predict that American's share of combined pretax profits among the three major airlines could rise from just under 4% in 2025 to about 12% in 2026 [1].