American Airlines and United Airlines chief executives deflected questions about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at their respective companies' earnings calls, instead saying that both carriers aim to hire the best talent. That was a stark contrast to Delta Air Lines, which, while receiving some backlash for comments about government “overreach,” did say that it was “steadfast” in its commitments to sustainability and DEI. Hiring the best team members Answering a question during the company’s earnings call on January 23, Robert Isom, the chief executive officer (CEO) of American Airlines, said that the carrier has always hired the best team members that it can bring to the company.
As CNBC’s Leslie Josephs pointed out during the call, American Airlines’ website reads that DEI is “foundational to the American Airlines culture and are embedded into the fabric of who we are as a company.” American Airlines executives detailed that they are still working with customers following their decision to abandon their direct sales strategy. Meanwhile, Isom did not directly address whether the carrier’s DEI policies will change, instead pointing out that the airline serves over 650,000 customers on peak days.
“ We have 130,000 team members that work [in] all parts of the globe. Our efforts here are going to be focused on caring for people on life's journey, and in that we are going to do that in a way that is beneficial for our customers and profit.