American Airlines Chief Executive Robert Isom has told the pilots' union he will meet with them as soon as possible, responding to rising pilot concerns about the carrier’s handling of a recent January storm and questions over the company’s financial trajectory.
In a letter to Allied Pilots Association President Nick Silva, Isom said he and the airline’s board have discussed the union’s request for a meeting and expressed shared intent to strengthen the airline. "The Board and I are aligned with you in the desire to make American the strongest airline possible in every respect," Isom wrote.
The Allied Pilots Association, which speaks for more than 16,000 American Airlines pilots, formally asked management on Friday to bring its concerns directly before the carrier’s board of directors. The request comes at a time when American is attempting to persuade investors it can close a profit gap with peers and sustain a turnaround in performance.
Pilots and other employees have criticized the carrier over its management of disruptions caused by a January storm. Leaders of the pilots’ board of directors conveyed to the airline’s board that their evaluation of company performance stems from what they describe as ongoing patterns rather than isolated incidents. "This assessment is not the result of a single interaction with management, an isolated operational disruption, or an individual earnings report; it is the result of persistent patterns of operational, cultural, and strategic shortcomings," the pilots' board wrote in its communication to the airline’s directors on Friday.
The planned meeting between Isom and union leadership follows that letter and the formal request to brief the board. Executives and directors will now face direct engagement over operational practices, employee morale, and the strategic choices that pilots say have contributed to recurring issues. The union’s action also arrives while the company navigates investor scrutiny tied to profitability versus competitors.
How the board responds to the pilots’ concerns, and whether the planned discussions produce concrete changes or commitments, will be watched by employees and investors alike as the carrier seeks to demonstrate a credible path to improved operations and financial results.