Industry woes weigh heavy on travel demand, American Airlines CEO says

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said Wednesday that travel demand is stronger than ever, but the industry still has a long way to go when it comes to recruiting talent and maintaining its supply chain.
At the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce annual meeting, Isom told attendees that coming out of a pandemic, people want to connect and still travel, a trend that isn’t going away anytime soon.
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“People want to visit Fort Worth,” Isom said. “I’ve been very pleased to see the rebound and traffic… I think that bodes well for the future. I know that demand is going to be there.”
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However, a challenge on Isom’s mind is the supply chain, which he says is anything from new aircraft, new engines, the supply of pilots and more. He said there needs to be strong companies and strong suppliers, especially in an industry like aviation. He pointed to Lockheed Martin and Bell Helicopter, both with a presence in Fort Worth.
American Airlines President Robert Isom, left, speaks during the Fort Worth Chamber’s annual meeting at the Cowtown Coliseum, Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in Fort Worth, as Steve Montgomery, president and CEO of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, listens. (Chitose Suzuki / Staff Photographer)
He didn’t mention Boeing during his fireside chat, a plane maker that has had many safety problems over the last several years, most recently brought to the limelight by a fuselage panel that blew out of an airborne 737 Max in January. Since then, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun has announced he will leave the company at the end of the year.
Another challenge for the industry is filling jobs, something Isom said aviation needs to focus more on. But he’s encouraged by the development at colleges like Texas Christian University and the University of Texas A&M for recruiting more graduates to the field.
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“We create great jobs, but I really worry about talent,” Isom said. “It’s very important to me to see that we’re investing in the right places at the right times.”
He reiterated that Fort Worth is home for American Airlines — and the airline is here to stay. American moved from New York City to North Texas in 1979.
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“We have the opportunity to be potentially the largest metro area in the country over the next 20 years,” Isom said. “What we do in Fort Worth is going to be the catalyst for that.”