Let me paint the picture.
You board the plane.
You buckle up.
You open your phone.
And the Headline you read: Unions blast CEO.
Now you are not thinking about snacks or seat pitch.
You are thinking about this: If the pilots and flight attendants do not trust leadership, should I?
That is the real turbulence.
So, what happened?
Multiple unions representing pilots and flight attendants at American Airlines publicly criticized CEO Robert Isom. This was not quiet contract friction. This was coordinated, public pressure.
The complaints centered on leadership direction, morale, communication breakdowns, and operational chaos.
Then came the visual that sticks.
After thousands of cancellations tied to severe winter weather, some flight attendants reportedly slept on airport floors when hotels were unavailable.
When leadership response is perceived as saying this “comes with the business,” the crisis shifts.
It is no longer about logistics.
It is about empathy. And empathy is currency in this society.
1. When Employees Become the Headline
In service businesses, employees are the brand. When frontline teams go public, it signals something deeper than a negotiation strategy. It signals a loss of trust. Customers do not read union statements like analysts. They read them like passengers.
And passengers ask one question: Is this airline stable?
2. Strategy Without Story Creates Chaos
American has made significant strategic changes over the last year, particularly around distribution and corporate sales. Some of those moves triggered backlash and were later adjusted. Strategic pivots are not the problem. Silence around the why is.
When companies move fast and recalibrate without clear narrative, stakeholders assume confusion or incompetence. If you do not tell the story, critics will.
3. Perception Beats Performance
You can hit financial targets and still lose credibility. This moment is less about quarterly earnings and more about leadership perception. Controlled statements may calm Wall Street.
They rarely calm flight attendants. And when employees feel dismissed, the media feels momentum.
Read: American Airlines crew issue no-confidence vote after CEO calls sleeping on floors “part of our job”
What They Should Do Now
A. Acknowledge Without Deflecting
No corporate phrasing. No minimizing language.
A simple message: We heard you. We misstepped. Here is what changes now.
Accountability builds trust faster than defensiveness.
B. Over Communicate Internally
Town halls. Live Q and A sessions. Direct engagement.
If your teams feel blindsided, your communication process failed.
Repairing that internally prevents external escalation.
C. Humanize Leadership
In high visibility businesses, leaders must show up visibly and authentically.
Not scripted. Not sterile. Real.
Employees and customers can detect distance instantly.
The Bigger Lesson
This is not just about airlines. It is about leadership optics. When employees question direction publicly, the crisis is no longer operational. It is existential. Because trust is the runway. And once that erodes, even clear skies feel unstable.
PR failures rarely begin with a press release. They begin with an internal disconnection.
And when that disconnect goes public, everyone feels the turbulence.
Until next time,
Aaron Blank
President and CEO
Fearey