Flight attendants at American Airlines are upping the ante in their dispute with embattled CEO Robert Isom in their quest to get the 59-year-old executive to either quit or have the airline’s board of directors remove him from his post.
Last month, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), which represents more than 28,000 crew members at the Texas-based carrier, issued a vote of no confidence in Isom over his handling of American’s strategy and lacklustre financial results.
Since then, however, Isom has held firm, refusing to concede his position or alter his strategy even the slightest. For now, at least, the airline’s board seems to be standing firmly behind him.
The flight attendant union isn’t backing down either, and while Isom has promised to elevate American Airlines to the “world’s premium global airline,” many workers remain unconvinced that he is the man to lead the drastic changes that will be required to reach this goal.
Now, APFA has declared ‘WAR’ on Isom by calling on its members to start wearing their strike-ready regalia once more.
WAR is actually an acronym for ‘We Are Ready,’ which can mean one of several things depending on the context: Either ‘we are ready for a new contract,’ ‘we are ready to strike, or, in this case, ‘we are ready for a new chief executive.’
The WAR regalia, featuring a bright red ID lanyard and pin badge, was widely worn by flight attendants in the years that they battled with American Airlines to secure a new contract.
That dispute came to an end in September 2024, and flight attendants were no longer required to wear the red lanyard or pin badge, given that relations with AA management were meant to be on an even keel.
That moment has now passed.
“Starting now, we encourage all Flight Attendants to once again wear their red APFA pin proudly while on duty,” crew members were told in an internal memo issued across AA’s bases on Wednesday.
“While it may seem like a small gesture, it carries significant meaning,” the memo continued. “It represents solidarity, professionalism, and a collective commitment to protecting our careers, strengthening our profession, and advocating for the future of our airline.”
“Visible unity matters. It reminds management that Flight Attendants remain engaged, organized, and committed to ensuring that our voices are heard.”
APFA is, so far at least, the only workgroup at American Airlines to have called on Isom’s removal, while the Allied Pilots Association (APA) has requested the opportunity to air their concerns directly to the AA board of directors.
That request was, however, rejected, and the board, instead, offered the subject of the meeting – Robert Isom himself – to speak with the pilot’s union.
Born in 1967, Isom was raised just outside of Detroit and was educated at the University of Notre Dame and then the University of Michigan, where he earned an MBA.
Isom started his career in the aviation industry at Northwest Airlines before moving to America West Airlines, where he led a major restructuring. He briefly led the airline business before returning as the executive vice president and chief operating officer of US Airways.
When US Airways merged with American Airlines, Isom became responsible for all aspects of the combined airline’s operations, including customer service, flight operations, maintenance, regional carrier management, cargo, safety, and security.
When veteran chief executive Doug Parker stepped down in 2023, Isom was selected as his replacement, although his time at the top has proven to be controversial.
