American Airlines CEO Robert Isom, under intense fire from the carrier’s mainline flight attendants and facing an unprecedented union vote of no confidence, has received an unlikely boost from a different corner of his workforce: the 1,600 flight attendants at PSA Airlines, a wholly owned regional subsidiary, whose leaders are now publicly crediting him with helping to secure one of the richest contracts in the regional industry.
A Tentative Deal That Changes the Narrative
The Association of Flight Attendants, which represents PSA’s cabin crews, announced this week that it has reached a tentative three-year agreement with the Dayton-based regional carrier that would deliver sweeping pay and work-rule improvements. The deal, if ratified, would mark a sharp turnaround for a group that has spent nearly three years in contentious talks and has repeatedly warned that low wages were driving employees into financial distress.
According to the union, the proposed contract provides total compensation increases ranging from 30 percent to 50 percent over its life, anchored by an immediate 10 percent pay raise and new boarding pay that is expected to lift earnings by an additional mid-teens percentage on average. It also includes retroactive pay, extra step increases on wage scales, scheduling changes and added flexibility that the union says will directly improve quality of life for workers who have long complained of unpredictable hours and stagnant pay.
The tentative agreement now goes to PSA flight attendants for a ratification vote, with ballots scheduled to be counted in early March. Until that vote is complete, the current contract, last updated in 2019 and amendable since July 2023, remains in force, but union officials are already signaling that the breakthrough could reset expectations across American’s regional network.
For American, the stakes run beyond a single subsidiary. PSA operates hundreds of daily departures, feeding passengers from smaller cities into American’s big hubs under the American Eagle brand. A stable, adequately paid cabin crew at PSA is crucial to American’s ability to maintain schedules and service levels in key regional markets.
From Informational Pickets to a Breakthrough
PSA’s flight attendants have been some of the most vocal critics of the status quo at American’s regional affiliates. Over the past year, they mounted pickets outside Charlotte Douglas International Airport and other bases, highlighting that many PSA crews were earning roughly 45 percent less than their mainline American counterparts while performing similar frontline safety and service work.
Union leaders regularly described pay levels that started in the mid-$20,000 range for new hires and remained constrained for years, arguing that such wages were not sustainable for workers based in high-cost hub markets. They recounted stories of flight attendants struggling to afford rent, relying on aircraft snacks to get through the day, or even sleeping in cars between trips because they could not afford hotel rooms.
The demonstrations also drew attention to work rules that meant PSA flight attendants, like many in the United States, were not paid for much of the time they spent on duty. Pre-flight safety checks, boarding, and lengthy ground delays often fell outside the paid clock, even as crews bore responsibility for passenger safety and regulatory compliance.
The new tentative agreement aims to directly address those long-standing grievances. By adding boarding pay and improving scheduling provisions, PSA flight attendants would see more of their on-duty hours reflected in their paychecks. The union is framing the package as not only an economic win but as a safety measure, insisting that reducing financial stress and fatigue will help ensure crews are fully prepared to respond in emergencies.
Praise for Isom Amid a Broader Labor Rebellion
What has captured industry attention, however, is not only the economic scope of the PSA deal but also the rhetoric that accompanied it. In a statement announcing the tentative agreement, Association of Flight Attendants leaders went out of their way to commend Robert Isom personally for what they described as direct engagement and a demonstrated commitment to frontline workers.
The union called the CEO’s role “notable,” arguing that his involvement was a deciding factor in closing the gap between management and labor after months of stalled talks. It also stressed that American agreed to a relatively short-term, three-year agreement, which will allow PSA flight attendants to return to the bargaining table sooner if industry profits and inflation continue to climb.
That endorsement lands in stark contrast to the open revolt now roiling American’s mainline cabin crew. Just days before the PSA announcement, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which represents roughly 28,000 flight attendants at American’s mainline operation, issued a historic vote of no confidence in Isom, citing what it termed years of financial underperformance and operational chaos.
At a protest outside American’s Fort Worth headquarters last week, mainline flight attendants chanted for Isom’s ouster and accused senior management of presiding over deteriorating service, irregular schedules and insufficient support during severe weather disruptions. The union has demanded a leadership shake-up and says it will continue to escalate public pressure on the company’s board.
Dueling Messages From the Flight Attendant Ranks
The result is a striking split screen in American’s labor relations. On one side, the mainline union is calling Isom’s leadership tone-deaf and demanding that he step down. On the other, PSA’s union leadership is publicly crediting the same CEO with helping deliver one of the most generous regional flight attendant agreements in the market.
Analysts say the contradiction reflects both the complexity of American’s union landscape and the different baselines from which each group is negotiating. Mainline flight attendants are pushing for improvements on already industry-leading pay and benefits, arguing that they have fallen behind peers at Delta and United on profit-sharing and other components. Regional flight attendants, by contrast, have been seeking to close a long-standing gap between their compensation and that of mainline crews, and they have more clearly felt the impact of rising living costs in hub cities.
The divergence is also informed by distinct union cultures. The Association of Flight Attendants, a cross-carrier union that represents workers at multiple airlines, has often embraced coalition strategies and public campaigns that spotlight one employer’s actions as a benchmark for others. Publicly acknowledging American’s willingness to move at PSA could be part of that playbook, positioning the carrier as a standard that other regional operators, including those tied to rival major airlines, may now be pressed to meet.
For the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, which is focused solely on American, the fight is more directly about the trajectory of a single airline and the perceived lack of a convincing turnaround plan. Its leaders argue that even as contracts have improved in some areas, American has lost ground to competitors on operational reliability and profitability, outcomes they lay at the feet of top management.
Implications for American’s Regional Network
Beyond the political optics, the PSA deal carries concrete implications for American’s regional network at a time when pilot and flight attendant shortages continue to challenge smaller markets. PSA operates as an American Eagle carrier, flying short-haul routes that connect communities across the eastern United States to American’s hubs in Charlotte, Dallas Fort Worth and Philadelphia, among others.
Recruiting and retaining cabin crews for those operations has become more difficult in recent years, as tight labor markets and rising housing costs have eroded the appeal of entry-level regional airline pay. PSA and other regional carriers have periodically introduced hiring bonuses, commuter hotel support and other incentives, but unions have argued that only a structural change in wages and work rules would provide lasting stability.
If ratified, the new PSA contract would send an important signal to prospective employees that regional flying under the American umbrella can offer a more sustainable career path. Combined with earlier steps to increase pay and provide retention bonuses, the agreement would further solidify PSA’s claim that it offers one of the most competitive flight attendant compensation packages among regional airlines.
That, in turn, could help American shore up service in smaller cities that depend on regional connections. Smooth operations at the regional level are essential to preserving American’s network breadth and customer loyalty, particularly for business travelers and frequent flyers who rely on seamless connections through hubs such as Charlotte and Dallas Fort Worth.
Inside the Union Strategy: Short-Term Deal, Long-Term Leverage
The decision to accept a shorter, three-year agreement at PSA is emerging as a key strategic element of the deal. Rather than locking in terms for an extended period, the union opted for a contract that can be reopened relatively soon, a choice that reflects both uncertainty about the industry’s trajectory and a desire to capitalize on any future upswings in revenue.
By front-loading wage gains with an immediate raise and boarding pay, while retaining the ability to return to the table in a few years, PSA flight attendants are effectively splitting the difference between short-term relief and long-term leverage. If American and its regional affiliates post stronger profits in the late 2020s, the union will be positioned to argue for another round of increases from a higher starting point.
That approach aligns with a broader trend in airline labor negotiations, where unions are increasingly wary of contracts that lag behind inflation or peers over long durations. With passenger demand, fuel prices and competitive dynamics all in flux, shorter contracts provide a way to recalibrate more quickly as conditions change.
At the same time, American gains near-term stability at PSA. The prospect of labor peace at one of its key regional carriers is especially valuable as it faces mounting unrest among larger workgroups, including mainline flight attendants and pilots who have sharpened their criticism of the carrier’s financial performance and strategic direction.
Isom’s Leadership Under Scrutiny
The juxtaposition of praise and protest comes as Robert Isom’s leadership is drawing fresh scrutiny from investors and the broader traveling public. Critics point to lagging share performance, weaker profit margins compared with rivals and several high-profile operational meltdowns as evidence that the airline has not fully recovered its footing after the pandemic.
Unions have seized on those stumbles to argue that frontline workers are being asked to shoulder the burden of management missteps, from spending nights on airport floors during severe weather to dealing with passenger frustration over delays and cancellations. The no-confidence vote from American’s mainline flight attendants is particularly significant because it represents the collective judgment of the airline’s largest unionized group, one that directly shapes the passenger experience on every flight.
Supporters of Isom, however, note that under his tenure American has signed a series of rich labor agreements, including with pilots and mechanics, and has invested heavily in wages and benefits across its unionized workforce. Commentaries in the business press have argued that those contracts, often reached ahead of competitors, reflect a strategy of prioritizing labor stability and frontline engagement as the foundation for a longer-term turnaround.
The PSA agreement will likely be cited by both sides in that debate. For Isom’s critics, it is evidence that the company is willing to move decisively for some groups while leaving others frustrated. For his defenders, it underscores the idea that American is prepared to spend to secure labor peace, including at smaller subsidiaries that are nonetheless vital to the network.
What Comes Next for PSA and American Airlines
In the immediate term, the focus shifts to PSA’s ratification vote. Union leaders will fan out across crew bases in Charlotte, Dayton, Washington National and Philadelphia to explain the agreement’s details and answer questions from members. While the deal has been hailed publicly by the union’s top leadership, rank-and-file approval is not guaranteed in an era of heightened expectations and rising activism across the airline industry.
If flight attendants endorse the contract, PSA will quickly move from being a flashpoint of unrest to a showcase for American’s labor strategy at the regional level. The airline will be able to market improved pay and conditions as a recruiting tool while pointing to a collaborative outcome that avoided the service disruptions that can come with strike threats and protracted mediation.
For American’s mainline operation, however, the storm clouds remain. The no-confidence campaign against Isom shows no sign of abating, and union leaders have signaled that they are prepared to keep pressure on both corporate management and the airline’s board. Public protests, coordinated messaging and potential work-to-rule actions could all shape the carrier’s operations in the months ahead.
For travelers, the dueling narratives within American’s flight attendant ranks may be largely invisible, at least in the short term. Flights will continue to depart, and cabin crews at both mainline and regional carriers will be there to provide safety and service. Yet behind the scenes, the outcome of these labor battles will influence everything from staffing levels and schedule reliability to the long-term stability of the world’s largest airline. In that context, the unexpected support Robert Isom has received from PSA flight attendants is more than a public relations twist; it is a revealing chapter in a wider struggle over how the benefits and burdens of the airline’s future will be shared.