'Strategic shortcomings' | American Airlines staff publicly call for exit of CEO Isom

Union leaders representing pilots and flight attendants at American Airlines are calling for the removal of chief executive Robert Isom, citing financial weakness, operational disruption, and declining passenger satisfaction.

Directors of the union representing 28,000 flight attendants issued a vote of no confidence in Isom on Monday, while employees staged a protest outside the airline’s headquarters in Fort Worth, calling for new leadership and what they described as a “credible turnaround strategy.”

Employee frustration has been building after months of internal concern about the airline’s direction and performance.

Financial performance draws scrutiny

The airline’s financial results have become a central point of criticism. Net profit totaled $111million last year, representing an 87% decline compared with the previous year and significantly trailing the roughly $5billion reported by competitor Delta Air Lines, according to reporting by CNBC.