American Airlines Flight Attendants Issue No-Confidence Vote in CEO Robert Isom
Photo Credit: Robert Isom speaking at the Skift Aviation Forum 2024 in Dallas, Texas. Skift
Skift Take
American Airlines once pitched a patient turnaround under Robert Isom. Now, with unions escalating pressure and results lagging rivals, the CEO is on the defensive.
American Airlines’ flight attendants have taken the rare step of formally rebuking the carrier’s top leadership.
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents roughly 28,000 flight attendants at American, said Monday its board of directors unanimously approved a vote of no confidence in CEO Robert Isom. The vote marks the first time the union has taken such action against a CEO at the carrier.
The union had been mulling whether to issue a vote of no confidence against Isom and had previously called on him to step down following the release of American’s latest earnings. During the fourth quarter, American reported a profit of $99 million. Its chief competitors, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, had profits of $1.2 billion and $1 billion, respectively.
“The status quo is indefensible,” the union said in a letter on January 27. “The bottom of the rankings, quarter after quarter, is unacceptable. Accountability
