After a fairly rocky 2024–25, American Airlines (AA) seems to be recovering well in 2026. Like Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) in Pakistan, AA enjoys a kind of semi-national airline status in the US and is often viewed as an organisation willing to take up the national service mantle where others shy away. With PIA’s recent privatisation — though a majority stake remains in the public sector — it is in this context that an evaluation of AA’s recent challenges could help determine how a post-privatised PIA might learn going forward.

Following a poor financial performance beginning in late 2024 and continuing for over a year, AA’s CEO, Robert Isom, has faced significant criticism: a unanimous vote of no confidence from the board of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) and open grumbling over his leadership from another union, the Allied Pilots Association. According to them, the airline has been falling dangerously behind competitors and the current leadership........

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