American Airlines CEO Doug Parker to retire
President Robert Isom to succeed Parker
American Airlines CEO Doug Parker will retire in March, and president Robert Isom will take over the role, the carrier announced on Tuesday.
"It has been the privilege of my life to serve for 20 years as an airline CEO," Parker said. "I am forever grateful to the American team, whose commitment to taking care of each other and our customers has never wavered and will continue to drive our success going forward."
Parker, who became American’s CEO in 2013, will remain as chairman of the board upon his March 31 retirement.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAL | AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC. | 14.64 | -0.28 | -1.88% |
He previously served as CEO of America West, being named chief executive 10 days before the Sept. 11 attacks. Parker guided the airline through the crisis and oversaw its merger with U.S. Airways, and later U.S. Air’s merger with American.
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Isom was named president in 2016 and previously served as chief operating officer at American, a role he held at U.S. Airways.
Doug Parker announces the planned merger of AMR Corp., the parent of American Airlines, with U.S. Airways, during a news conference at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Feb. 14, 2013. (REUTERS/Mike Stone / Reuters Photos)
Flanked by other airline executives, American Airlines CEO Doug Parker speaks to reporters after meeting with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in Washington, Sept. 17, 2020. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque / Reuters Photos)
"I am humbled to serve as CEO of American Airlines," said Isom. "Over the past several years, our airline and our industry have gone through a period of transformative change. And with change comes opportunity. Today, our more than 130,000 dedicated team members fly more people than any other U.S. airline on the youngest fleet of all the network carriers, and we are positioned to continue to lead the industry as travel rebounds."
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Parker becomes the second airline chief executive this year to announce his intent to step down. Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said he will turn the reins over to the airline’s executive vice president, Robert Jordan, in February.