2.13.26 – No Confidence in CEO Robert Isom: Standing Together, Next Steps

Friday, February 13, 2026

This week marked a defining moment for APFA and for every Flight Attendant and Employee at American Airlines. Flight Attendants are resolute in their support for the removal of CEO Robert Isom as the leader of American Airlines. You stood shoulder to shoulder in support with Union Leaders, and you showed up outside American Headquarters to make your voices impossible to ignore.

We were also met with an outpouring of solidarity from our Union Siblings, concerned customers, and supporters who recognize what is at stake– our careers and the success of American Airlines.

On Monday, February 9, your APFA Board of Directors took the necessary and unanimous step of issuing a Vote of No Confidence in CEO Robert Isom. This decision was not made lightly. It reflects years of declining financial performance; repeated, chaotic, and mismanaged operational failures; and leadership decisions that have pushed the burden of failure onto Flight Attendants and other frontline Employees while executives escape accountability.

There is no ambiguity about where responsibility lies. The failures that have put our airline in this position begin at the top, with CEO Robert Isom.

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APFA Took Action — And Our Community Showed Up

Following the Vote of No Confidence, APFA announced a systemwide protest outside American Airlines Headquarters to confront failed leadership head-on.

Yesterday, February 12th, Flight Attendants, Union Siblings, and Supporters showed up at American’s Headquarters in Fort Worth on very short notice to demand accountability, operational support, and real leadership change at the top. This protest sent a direct message to CEO Robert Isom: Flight Attendants will no longer bear the consequences of executive failure in silence.

The turnout was strong. The message was unmistakable. And once again, national and local media were there to witness this powerful show of solidarity.

Your message of no confidence in CEO Robert Isom is reverberating nationwide and putting AA top leadership under a national spotlight. Major national outlets, including Bloomberg, CNBC, Forbes, ABC/CBS/NBC News, The Dallas Morning News, the Wall Street Journal, and others, covered APFA’s Vote of No Confidence and the serious concerns facing American Airlines. These reports exposed the reality Flight Attendants live every day: an airline that is falling behind its competitors financially, operationally, and in leadership accountability.

Read more national coverage on the APFA Press page.

This was not a symbolic gesture. It was a public line in the sand. It demonstrated unity, resolve, and the growing strength of our collective voice to demand accountability from leadership that has failed to deliver. Change will not happen overnight, but the Vote of No Confidence is a decisive first step in holding CEO Robert Isom and top management accountable for the future of our airline.

click image below for coverage from 8ABC WFAA in Dallas

We extend our sincere thanks to every Flight Attendant, Union Sibling, and Supporter who showed up and stood with us. We also thank those who amplified our message online by sharing, engaging, and ensuring our voices were heard far beyond Fort Worth.

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APFA Will Not Back Down

CEO Robert Isom must step down. If he refuses, the American Airlines Board of Directors must act immediately in the best interest of the company, its Employees, and its future by removing him.

Years of financial underperformance, operational failures, and an unfathomable loss of competitive standing with our premium competitors, United and Delta, cannot continue.

APFA will continue to hold management responsible for the decisions and failures that have put this airline—and our careers—at risk.

Flight Attendants and other American Employees did not create these problems. But together, we will demand accountability and force a path forward that restores operational reliability, financial strength, and the respect every Employee deserves. We will not stop until real change is made.

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What’s Next?

Stay tuned. Stay engaged. This fight will not be won overnight, and your involvement will be crucial as we move forward. It will take all of us to hold leadership accountable and demand the changes this airline desperately needs. Together, voices from across American Airlines will ensure real accountability and real change.

In Solidarity,