How American Airlines Almost Broke in Just 10 Years?

5 godzin temu

FORT WORTH— The latest episode of The Air Show podcast brought together Brett Snyder (Cranky Flier), Jon Ostrower (The Air Current), and Brian Sumers (The Airline Observer) to dissect what’s holding back American Airlines (AA).

Rather than focusing on brand or product, the discussion centered on American’s network strategy, shrinking presence in key cities like New York (JFK/LGA) and Los Angeles (LAX), and growth in the Sun Belt, where Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) remains the airline’s strongest hub.

American Airlines Almost Broke

American’s network challenges are deeply rooted in its merger history. When US Airways acquired American, it lacked the network scale to compete directly with Delta Air Lines (DL) and United Airlines (UA).

One critical move before the merger saw US Airways trade away its strategic position at New York LaGuardia (LGA) to Delta, undermining American’s ability to remain competitive in the nation’s largest market.

Instead, the carrier doubled down on Sun Belt strength, particularly at DFW, Charlotte (CLT), and Miami (MIA).

While these hubs are profitable, critics argue that retreating from global cities like New York, Chicago (ORD), and Los Angeles (LAX) weakened American’s relevance among premium travelers.

That, in turn, impacted its ability to grow co-branded credit card spending, a vital revenue stream in the airline industry, View from the Wing highlighted.

The Boeing 737 Dilemma

Another point of debate is American’s Boeing 737 strategy. Legacy American 737s carried 150 seats, but under US Airways management, capacity was first raised to 160 and then to 172 with “Project Oasis.”

The additional rows were achieved by cutting legroom, shrinking lavatories, and reducing the number of extra-legroom seats.

At one point, American even considered installing a 29-inch seat pitch in standard economy, a move that would have placed it in the same territory as Spirit Airlines (NK) and Frontier Airlines (F9).

Strong customer pushback forced management to pull back, but the result was still a cramped layout with fewer premium upsell opportunities.

The problem wasn’t just tighter seating or lack of seatback entertainment. It was a strategic failure to align with consumer demand for more comfort and premium options—a trend that competitors like Delta and United have capitalized on.

Financial Engineering and Debt Burden

American’s troubles also stem from its financial choices. The airline took on massive debt to fund share buybacks, a strategy that failed to lift stock prices while draining resources needed for fleet renewal and product upgrades.

Former CEO Doug Parker benefited personally from share sales exceeding $100 million, but employees and customers saw little gain.

Now, with one of the industry’s heaviest debt loads, American has limited flexibility. It retired Airbus A330s, Boeing 757s, Boeing 767s, and Embraer E190s during the pandemic but did not secure a robust widebody order book.

Without 787-10s or other new-generation widebodies, the airline lacks the fleet depth to expand long-haul international service or test new markets using lower-cost aircraft.

Chasing Low-Cost Rivals

A consistent theme in American’s strategy has been chasing ultra-low-cost carriers like Spirit and Frontier, despite having a higher cost structure.

In 2018, current CEO Robert Isom openly said the airline would not spend “a dollar they don’t have to” on product.

The focus was on cheap seats, schedule reliability, and efficiency—without delivering true reliability or differentiated service.

This meant fewer premium seats on widebodies and domestic aircraft, removal of first class on some international routes, and a shortage of extra-legroom economy options. While Delta and United invested heavily in premium cabins and lounges, American doubled down on cost-cutting.

Employee Morale and Leadership Gaps

Beyond aircraft and finances, American faces a cultural and leadership vacuum. Employees have lacked a clear mission for years.

While Parker once spoke about employees taking care of customers so customers could take care of shareholders, that philosophy was never effectively implemented. Instead, front-line staff were told to focus on efficiency, with little clarity on service expectations.

This lack of vision has led to disengagement, with many employees unsure whether the company aims to be a premium carrier or an ultra-low-cost competitor.

Comparisons are often drawn to United, where Oscar Munoz rebuilt trust and morale by actively engaging with staff and setting a clear direction, even if temporarily.

The Path Forward

American Airlines faces a steep climb. It needs widebody aircraft to rebuild its long-haul presence, a reconfigured domestic product that offers true premium upsell opportunities, and significant investments in lounges and in-flight service.

Reliability must improve beyond on-time departures, with a focus on baggage handling, wheelchair assistance, and customer experience.

Delta spent over 15 years building its current position, and even it still has weaknesses. American cannot fix its problems overnight, but it must articulate a roadmap—both to customers and employees—that outlines how it will regain relevance in major markets, strengthen loyalty, and deliver a product travelers are willing to pay for.

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