Former American Airlines CEO Doug Parker who steered the carrier into its current position and embattled current Chief Executive Robert Isom reportedly flew back from Paris to Dallas – Fort Worth together “with Gucci shopping bags in hand” on Easter Sunday, according to aviation watchdog JonNYC.
Nothing says out of touch like [major airline Bigwig] and [similar/former] family and their security flying back to [US airport] from their Paris vacation on Easter Sunday with Gucci shopping bags in hand, cutting [absolute highest level] pre-boards to get on the plane first to their 6+ seats in business, and never acknowledging a single customer along the way.
…But this was Isom and (wife or family) and Doug Parker and (wife or family.)
OK, well, I still cannot confirm/comment on the behavior reported (yet…)
But this was Isom and (wife or family) and Doug Parker and (wife or family.)
— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) April 5, 2026
I can’t confirm that Parker and Isom were “cutting” ConciergeKey members to board, although there’s not necessarily anything wrong with that – board first, great the flight attendants and pilots. As CEO Parker would spend time talking to flight attendants in the galley almost every flight. Plus they’d want to make sure they had overhead bin space for their (reportedly Gucci) bags.
And it doesn’t surprise me that they didn’t acknowledge or stop to chat with customers. Thats a shame. Isom call customers during the pandemic but doesn’t do a lot of unscripted interactions, even with (and especially) employees.
Today’s American Airlines flight 49 was, perhaps appropriately, delayed on departure. The Boeing 777-200 registered as N798AN features ‘Concept D’ business class seats known for center seat pairs ‘rocking’ due to how they’re attached to the cabin. There are both forward- and rear-facing seats. Parker had the 777-200 reduced to 37 business seats during his tenure, and the group was taking up several of them.
It’s interesting to see Isom and Parker spending time together. They may just be catching up. Parker did pick Robert Isom over Scott Kirby as his successor at American. With all of the heat that’s been on Isom over the airline’s poor financial performance, from both Wall Street and employees (it’s costing them profit sharing), it wouldn’t surprise me for Isom to be seeking Parker’s advice in dealing with the board.
- On the one hand, it’s Parker who’s largely responsible for the challenges American faces. He alienated employees, customers and shareholders and is responsible for loading the airline up with $12.4 billion in debt to fund stock buybacks that didn’t ultimately boost the share price; retiring Airbus A330, Boeing 767, Boeing 757 and Embraer E-195 aircraft during the pandemic that they turned out to need; and focusing on aircraft densification and downmarket product (paying to remove premium seats, even) just as customers were starting to pay a premium for a better experience. Parker is who you’d want when your business strategy is seeking government bailouts.
- On the other hand, Parker built the American Airlines board and holds many of those relationships. It was a board that never held executives accountable for performance. He actually denigrated their lack of airline experience even though he’d picked them – presumably, then, selected for their pliability rather than their airline acumen.
Hopefully Paris – with loved one – was purely social, and Isom is getting better advice charting a course for the airline.
Just get me there on time. Period
I am no fan of isom . But why is this newsworthy ?
Literally spent my AA flight two days ago watching the FAs take? steal? every flavor of the new centennial amenity kits. Marching down the aisles with them and stuffing them into their storage areas. One used one of the grey garbage bags to make it look less bad? They each took multiple. So maybe AA folks just like bags.
Sigh.
@ Gary — What says you’re a moron more than carrying anything Gucci, Hermes, or whatever? These products are all ludicrously over-priced garbage. For a handmade, high-quality bag that will last longer than you and costs 90% less, try Herz in Tokyo.
So, what? They had Gucci shopping bags? Not uncommon in business the slightest on a return from Europe. Some people actually pay for and afford business for leisure travel, and purchase designer fashion abroad.
On the Gucci bags, “never spend a dollar more than you have to” makes me think someone else picked up the tab for his bag?
@ David P — Yeah, AA customers picked up the tab!
@Gene and @David: I have yet to see a senior exec who didn’t behave as if cost cutting applied to everyone except themselves.
Maybe they were exchanging tips on how to destroy an airline.
@Peter.
Get a life. It’s procedure at each US3 to pick up unopened amenity kits, put them in the gray bags and stash them away for outbound crews if there’s a shortage for the next trip. Or put the bags in a catering cart to return to the flight kitchens. Airline crews aren’t excited by cheap vinyl kits made by ten year old children in a China factory.
Get a room, fellas.
Also, let them eat Biscoff!
Isom doesn’t know his customers or how to greet them…they’re merely “products” to him, choosing AA F or J class because of flight schedule and not a double-catered Transatlantic meal service.
Dude should go on tour with the McDonald’s CEO. Beyond awkward.
So what they had Gucci bags. Did you expect them to carry about their belongings in a trash bag a la PAP? I wonder if their flight was on time.
@WilliamPSimmons — You may be right about the crew preparing for the next leg, but, also, I want to say, I think @Peter has a decent life already.
As for the assembly and manufacturing of the amenity kits, yes, such items are often made in mainland China, but not necessarily by literal 10-year-olds. Supposedly, there’s an Article 15 in their Labor Law that would prohibit this… if enforced.
For instance, those Raven + Lily products are produced by WESSCO International, primarily in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province. I see that the region produces the vast majority of the world’s airline toothbrushes, slippers, and travel pouches. Supposedly, as a vendor for Fortune 500 companies, their factories are subject to third-party audits. And the precision required for stitching high-end brand collaborations like Raven + Lily generally requires skilled adult labor. So, probably no 10-year-olds. (I get it, you were being hyperbolic. How fun!)
However, even without child labor, there are still real labor problems at issue here, like excessive overtime (60+ hours/week), use of temp workers with fewer benefits and less job security, and possibly use of forced-labor like in Xinjiang. It’s an ethical dilemma for a company like Raven + Lily that purports to employ women at fair wages in artisan cooperatives like in Ethiopia… only to have production at high-capacity Chinese factories with these issues. It’s a real thinker, mah man…
@Gary. You stated “Parker alienated employees, customers, and shareholders”. Please add the thousands of retirees Parker also alienated.
Ironically, another well respected aviation blog posted the “We’re American Airlines, Doing What We Do Best” commercial that, as a retiree typified the spirit and pride of AA prior to Parker, Isom and their bottom feeding crew getting ahold of it. How ironic to see these past and present, totally out of touch so called executives jetting off – with families – to Paris and totally oblivious to the world that is caving in around them. The demise of this disastrous regime cannot come soon enough!!
@ 1990. Those small hands can sew finer stitches.
Gucci= Tacky horrible decision making ,, plastic (or worst case leather) made in China. Very sad.
When did it become a crime to fly to Paris?
Their purgatory should be 50,000 years of waiting in airports with American’s infamous 15 minute rolling delays and being made to fly coach with only Biscoff cookies and water for all eternity; using the tiny porta potty lavs with the Greyhound bus sinks big enough to wash only one hand at a time.
@william- right they must have wanted the next crew to play hide and go seek. Each flight attendant walked through with 2-3 bags each and put them in their separate individual storage areas. AA released centennial amenity kits on April 1 and they wanted them. Simple as that.
Thanks @1990! Enjoying the good life every day. Great UK vacation ongoing.
@Peter — Epic! Was this the one with J or MCE on the 789?! Enjoy!