American Airlines Pilots Demanded To Address The Board. They Sent The CEO They’ve Lost Confidence In Instead
- Chief executive Robert Isom has finally broken cover as speculation of his ousting gains traction. He is now offering to meet with the pilot's union to quell their fears he isn't up to the job of turning the airline around.
On Friday, the pilots of American Airlines demanded the opportunity to meet with the beleaguered carrier’s board of directors to describe firsthand their concerns with the direction the airline has taken and the effect its business strategy has had on financial performance.
The Allied Pilots Association (APA), which represents more than 16,000 pilots at the Texas-based carrier, spoke of “management’s miscalculations” and said they had “lost confidence in management’s ability to correct course.”
Atop the airline’s management sits chief executive Robert Isom. But, rather than giving the union the opportunity to address them directly, who did the board decide to send on their behalf?
None other than Robert Isom.
In a letter sent to APA president Capt. Nick Silva, the beleaguered chief executiv,e wrote: “The Board and I are aligned with you in the desire to make American the strongest airline possible in every respect. We discussed your letter at length and agreed that, as a member of the board and CEO, it is most appropriate that I get together with you, your leadership team, or the APA Board of Directors – whatever is best – as soon as possible.
Isom’s letter continued: “I appreciate the opportunity to address the items outlined in your letter and the specifics you relayed to me personally regarding our handling of Winter Storms Fern and Gianna; American’s focus on pilot attendance policies; and our business plan to return American to its rightful place atop the industry.”
Essentially, the airline’s board has rejected the pilot union’s request for a meeting that would likely have seen them demanding that Isom and other senior leaders be replaced as quickly as possible.
Instead, they are offering up the very man that many frontline workers have lost confidence in… a sign, perhaps, that this view isn’t shared by the board.
At the conclusion of a regularly scheduled meeting of the pilot union’s board of directors on Friday, the board decided not to hold a vote of no confidence in Isom and his management team, despite calls from many pilots for them to do exactly this.
They did, however, say they were “not interested in symbolic gestures”.
In a letter to American’s board, Silva added: “We need decisive action. We require leaders who are willing, equipped, and empowered to get the house in order.”
APA has yet to publicly confirm whether it has accepted Isom’s offer.
It seems, however, that talk of Isom’s ousting is premature, to say the least, although that doesn’t seem to be stopping the mounting rumors surrounding his future at American.
