American Airlines crew issue no-confidence vote after CEO calls sleeping on floors “part of our job”
February 10, 2026
The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA)—representing about 28,000 American Airlines crew—issued a unanimous vote of no confidence in American Airlines CEO Robert Isom, the first such action against an American Airlines CEO.
In a statement published on Monday, the union says the airline, which is currently celebrating its 100th anniversary, is in a “relentless downward spiral” and has fallen dangerously behind competitors due to weak financial results, operational failures, and flawed strategy.
APFA is demanding accountability, improved operational support, and leadership change.
This follows similar criticism expressed in a letter from the Airline Pilots Association last week and marks one of the most serious internal challenges to American’s leadership in years.
The American Airlines “sleeping on airport floors” controversy
A major flashpoint for the push to replace Isom involves crew welfare during recent operational disruptions.
“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,” said Julie Hedrick, President of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), the Union representing more than 28,000 Flight Attendants at American, in the announcement.
Wider labour unrest: American Airlines’ pilots turn to the Board of Directors
The backlash is not limited to flight attendants. The Allied Pilots Association (APA), collective bargaining agent for the 16,000 pilots of American Airlines, also criticised management and sought board-level action.
The union’s board of directors sent a letter on February 6 to the American Airlines Group Board of Directors, stating, “Our airline is on an underperforming path and has failed to define an identity or a strategy to correct course.”
The pilots’ union accused the airline’s management of “persistent patterns of operational, cultural, and strategic shortcomings” which have put American Airlines behind competitors Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.
“While our premium competitors’ market capitalisation has soared, American’s has soured,” the airline’s pilots stated in their letter. “As their free cash flow is sustained and growing, ours is inconsistent and stumbles.
As our competitors drive and arrive at investment-grade balance sheets, management’s miscalculations leave American trailing in that investment-grade effort as well. Management self-lauds their proclaimed industry-leading ‘efficiency,’ yet they fail to fully monetise the assets under their charge and leave us in a revenue-trailing position.”
American Airlines’ pilots added that they “have lost confidence in management’s ability to correct course” and called for “decisive action.”
“We require leaders who are willing, equipped, and empowered to get the house in order,” the pilot’s union stated. “Leadership must change the culture of this airline, define American’s business identity, develop a strategy to not just improve but to outperform our competitors, and restore pride across the organisation.”
Unions draw attention to American Airlines’ financial and operational woes
American Airlines posted record revenue ($54.6 billion) but sharply lower net income ($111 million) in 2025.
The flight attendants’ union cited specific examples of Robert Isom’s failure to direct the airline toward profitability and growth.
- Flight attendants highlighted the airline’s decline in post-pandemic performance. APFA said it began raising alarms as AA’s financial losses increased and its operational performance lagged behind that of United, Delta, and Southwest Airlines.
- APFA noted significant increases in CEO Robert Isom’s compensation and benefits despite poor financial and operational performance, and top executives, “receiving substantial compensation packages” even after Isom stated he was “not satisfied” with results.
- AFPA also highlighted the airline’s failed corporate sales and distribution strategy, which alienated key business customers and reduced revenue, but did not result in a financial penalty for the executive who developed it. “After departing American abruptly in June 2024, the former chief commercial officer responsible for the sales debacle received more than $462,000 in base pay through January 31, 2025, and nearly $1 million in severance,” the union stated.
- The union also noted the airline’s reputational decline. “In May 2025, J.D. Power ranked American Airlines last in first/business class customer satisfaction, with economy and basic economy also trailing major competitors. In The Wall Street Journal’s ‘2025 Best and Worst Airline Rankings,’ American Airlines fell from fifth place in 2023 to last place overall in 2025.”
Winter storm Fern is the breaking point for American Airlines flight attendants
The flight attendants’ union also stated that “operational challenges abound” at American Airlines.
The union cited the airline’s meltdown during recent winter storm Fern, which led to over 9,000 cancellations and an estimated $200 million impact on the airline’s early-2026 results, as an example of an inherent management failure.
“Ongoing chaotic and mismanaged operations during weather events, service inconsistencies and declining customer trust indicate broader operational struggles noted by unionised workgroups at the carrier,” the union stated.
“By October 2025, all Unions representing American Airlines workers jointly called on management to present a credible turnaround strategy to address worsening performance gaps. The plan never materialised.”
Hedrick said the airline “must course-correct before it falls even further behind,” adding, “This level of failure begins at the very top, with CEO Robert Isom.”
American Airlines’ leadership legitimacy is now in question
American Airlines faces a serious governance and labour-relations crisis. Flight attendants want Isom ousted, and pilots have issued no-confidence messaging to the airline’s Board of Directors, demanding decisive change.
Though calls for leadership changes may have fallen on deaf ears in the past, the airline’s unions are clearly ready to raise the volume.
Featured Image: American Airlines
