American Airlines flight attendants pass no-confidence vote, call CEO’s leadership a “downward spiral”
The union that represents American Airlines flight attendants said Monday its board of directors unanimously passed a no-confidence vote in airline CEO Robert Isom, the first such vote against an American Airlines CEO in the union’s history.
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants said the vote came in an effort to address the “relentless downward spiral” of the Fort Worth-based airline under Isom’s leadership.
“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 news release. “This level of failure begins at the very top, with CEO Robert Isom.”
The APFA said that financial losses have mounted for the airline since the COVID pandemic and operational performance is behind its competitors.
APFA also called out Isom for supporting a “failed corporate sales strategy,” which has alienated business customers and has led to a decline in rankings.
APFA pointed to Isom’s salary, saying that as his and other top executives’ compensation increased, compensation for flight attendants has not.
In October 2025, the unions representing American Airlines workers called on management to create a turnaround strategy to address the issues; however, they said the strategy never materialized.
“Management’s repeated failures are dragging this airline down and leaving frontline Workers to pay the price, including losing out on meaningful profit sharing at a company that should be thriving,” Hedrick said in a statement. “When the recent winter storm hamstrung our operations to the point where Flight Attendants were sleeping on airport floors, Robert Isom’s response was that it was just ‘part of our job.’ His tone-deaf leadership shows a complete disregard for the human element and is actively harming both American Airlines and the people who keep it running every day.”
The union said its members are demanding accountability, improved operational support and leadership change at the company.
American Airlines has yet to release a comment concerning the vote; however, they sent statements Isom made during a recent earnings call. In which Isom said in part, “I’m excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for American as we begin to see the benefits of our work in 2026. Our strategy to deliver on American’s revenue potential centers on four key areas: delivering a consistent, elevated customer experience, maximizing the power of our network and fleet, building partnerships that deepen loyalty and lifetime value, and continuing to advance our sales, distribution, and revenue management efforts. While this has been a multi-year effort, 2026 will be the year these efforts start to bear fruit.”
Isom has been in the CEO role since March 2022.
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