American Airlines flight attendants hold protest in Fort Worth against company leadership

American Airlines flight attendants protest

The union representing more than 28,000 American Airlines flight attendants protested on Thursday, blaming management failures for declining performance, poor rankings, and worsening work conditions.

FORT WORTH, Texas - American Airlines flight attendants protested outside their company's headquarters in Fort Worth Thursday morning after their union issued a vote of no-confidence against their CEO.

Flight attendants take to the streets

Local perspective:

Chants of "Robert's got to go" were heard during the protest, referring to Robert Isom, the American Airlines CEO given a no-confidence vote earlier this week by the Association of Professional Flight Attendants. The union represents upwards of 28,000 employees of American Airlines.

The flight attendants were accompanied by union leaders, labor allies and other supporters during the protest.

This protest wasn't about the flight attendants, protesters said, as the APFA reached a new contract with American Airlines 17 months ago. It was about financial performance and company morale, which they say has lowered drastically amid worsening conditions for workers.

"Final straw, last quarter performance, as well as during the storms how our crews were handled during the ice meltdown," Erik Harris, the APFA's treasurer, told FOX 4. "During the ice meltdown we had our crews sleeping on floors."

"It's morale and the future of our livelihood, our careers. This is how we pay our bills, feed our families," Harris continued.

A notable no-confidence vote

The backstory:

The APFA issued a vote of no-confidence against Robert Isom, the CEO of American Airlines, on Monday. It was the first ever no-confidence vote against a sitting American Airlines CEO.

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American Airlines flight attendants say they have "no confidence" in CEO

American Airlines flight attendants believe the airline has fallen behind its competitors, and they want a change. The union issued a vote of "no confidence" against the airline’s CEO.

The union believes the company isn’t moving in the right direction and is losing ground to competitors like Delta and United. More specifically, the union said American Airlines has not addressed post-pandemic concerns. It called Isom’s leadership "tone-deaf" and said he disregards the human element.

The no-confidence vote came a week after the pilots’ union also criticized the airline’s performance and asked to meet with company leaders.

It’s also notable because neither union is currently negotiating a new contract.

American Airlines responds

What they're saying:

"Reclaiming American’s reputation as the world’s premium global airline is our mission and we are relentless in that pursuit. The foundation is set and the plan is in place for us to deliver for our customers, shareholders and each other — and we will do that as one team," is what an American Airlines spokesperson told FOX 4.

Notably, the response does not address calls for Isom to step down.

Gabe Saglie, a travel expert, told FOX 4's Alex Boyer that the company lost approximately $200 million dollars after January's winter storm grounded upwards of 9,000 flights. DFW Airport was hit the hardest by those cancellations.

"They sometimes lose track of the fact that there are also personnel caught up in this," Saglie told Boyer. "And you've got pilots, you've got flight attendants who oftentimes find themselves caught in that confusion and in that chaos."