Tag Archives for robert isom.
American’s CEO Robert Isom looks more vulnerable than ever: the airline is barely profitable, its strategy has lagged rivals for years, and a winter-storm meltdown exposed deep operational fragility—enough that flight attendants are openly calling for his ouster. But American’s board has a long history of sticking with leadership through failure, which may be the strongest reason he survives even if the case for change is obvious.
Following Thursday’s American Airlines second quarter earnings call, corporate officers gathered employees for a ‘State of the Airline’ presentation. This was recorded and shared through the company’s internal network, and a copy was reviewed by View From The Wing.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom sharply criticized Delta Air Lines for using AI to manipulate ticket pricing, calling Delta’s approach “bait and switch” and “not appropriate,” pledging American won’t follow suit.
American Airlines’ post-earnings employee meeting, held right after their quarterly call, underscored CEO Robert Isom’s emphasis on reliability as the sole key to success, insights on Boeing delivery issues, and the costly challenges of airport real estate, especially in high-demand locations like JFK.
American Airlines released a shareholder presentation supporting its positions on votes at the carrier’s annual meeting. Most of the ink is spilled over CEO Robert Isom’s $31.4 million pay package, which consists in part of retro pay at a time that retro pay is the most contentious issue at the end of labor negotiations with flight attendants.
After American’s earnings call on Thursday, in prepared remarkets to the airline’s employees as a ‘State of the Airline’ event (a recording of which was reviewed by View From The Wing), Isom brought up his pay package and fumbled through an explanation. And as they say, when you’re explaining you’re losing. He came across as defensive and unsure of himself.
There’s no question that Isom is well-compensated compared to the airline industry as a whole (and American financially underperforms) and it’s especially controversial among employees when flight attendants haven’t seen a raise since 2019 while first and second-year Boston-based flight attendants qualify for food stamps.
American Airlines flight attendants, amidst union officer elections and ongoing wage disputes, are escalating their efforts to strike by confronting CEO Robert Isom and pushing for government mediation, despite upcoming negotiations and a previous rejection for a strike during the holiday season.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom was named the world’s best airline CEO. That may be debatable, but the airline’s board has awarded him a rich compensation package potentially worth over $26 million.
This win really does belong to the PR folks. While the publication doesn’t reveal its methodology, any reasonable ‘Best CEO’ evaluation has to look at the individual’s value add against the assets they’re working with.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
