CEO Robert Isom remains optimistic on a return of government travel.
An American Airlines aircraft at Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA). (Photo: Shutterstock | The Bold Bureau)
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said that January’s mid-air collision between its PSA subsidiary and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter had a “big impact” on its operations at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington.
Speaking during the J.P. Morgan 2025 Industrials Conference on Tuesday, Isom said DCA is a center for a lot of corporate and government-contracted business.
“[T]here are government contractors that have been affected,” Isom said. “Anyone as well in that area is [also] feeling the concerns of uncertainty. We know that there’s some follow-on effect in terms of leisure travel associated with that as well.”
Despite setbacks, Isom said that Reagan National has historically been one of American’s most profitable hubs.
“We have an enviable position there, and over the long run, I’m confident that it will return to its full share of profitability,” he said.
Isom outlined that the D.C. airport makes up roughly two percent of the carrier’s total available seat miles.
“I’d love to get it back to that profitability level that we had seen,” Isom said. “We’ve taken some actions to address capacity. But over the long run, that’s going to work out really well for us. Government travel has a way of coming back.”
Receive a daily dose of the airline industry's top stories along with market insights right in your inbox.
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency reportedly pushed to lay off air traffic controllers days after a slew of high-profile…
Silver Airways has abruptly halted service to Orlando, Florida, as it spars with an aircraft lessor. Orlando was the regional…
A Delta passenger has filed one of the first lawsuits against the carrier following a flight that crash-landed at Toronto…
