American Airlines flies more planes every day than any competitor.
So why is it making so much less money than United or Delta?
The answer comes down to premium passengers. United and Delta started chasing higher-paying travelers 10 to 20 years ago. They upgraded their business-class seats, built bigger lounges, and tailored their service for people willing to spend more. American only recently started doing the same.
The result is a giant profit gap. That is a lot of missing money for an airline that runs more flights than anyone else.
CEO Robert Isom knows the numbers. "The long-range plan is certainly making up the margin gap," he said.
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Isom's strategy has several moving parts. First, he wants to improve reliability. The company is using schedule changes and AI to improve.
Second, premium seating. American's largest planes, the 777-300ERs, have 70 business-class lie-flat seats. On some international routes, each one can bring in close to $10,000. The airline plans to remodel cabins and add more of those seats.
Third, bigger and better lounges. At Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, American's biggest hub, a new Admirals Club lounge will cover 37,000 square feet. That is part of a $12 billion renovation at the airport.
Fourth, new wide-body planes. American plans to order a batch of long-haul jets this year, either from Boeing or Airbus. Isom noted that "Airbus could play a big role."
And the airline is adding satellite Wi-Fi from SpaceX's Starlink to its fleet, which should improve the onboard experience.
But changing a service culture is hard. Union leaders are skeptical. Julie Hedrick, president of American's flight attendant union, warned that the push for premium service could backfire. "Now, as American introduces 70 Business Suites and markets a premium international experience, they're expecting a reduced number of Flight Attendants to deliver significantly more personalized service," she said. "The result will be longer service times and a customer experience that falls short of what passengers expect."
Wall Street is watching closely. American reports second-quarter earnings on Thursday, and investors will get an updated forecast. CFO Devon May said the key metric is "unit revenue" - how much money the airline makes per seat per mile. "What we will measure over time is: Are we closing this revenue gap and closing the unit revenue gap?" he said.
The bottom line: American has the pieces - the most flights, a growing premium product. But it is trying to change a reputation and a culture at the same time. If Isom can pull it off, the profit jump baked into those earnings estimates could be real. If not, the gap with United and Delta stays wide.
For investors, the question is simple: Can a giant learn to run? The next few quarters will tell.
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