American Airlines reports $931 million fourth-quarter loss

DALLAS: American Airlines lost $931 million in the fourth quarter and the incoming CEO said Thursday that the surge in COVID-19 will delay the airline’s recovery by two or three months.
First-quarter revenue is expected to be down about 20% to 22% compared with the first quarter of 2019, and it will fly slightly less than it did two years ago, the airline said.
That outlook roughly matches what other airlines are saying. The rise in virus cases fueled by the omicron variant is hurting bookings, but airlines remain upbeat about spring and summer travel.
Robert Isom, who will take over as CEO after Doug Parker steps down March 31, said the airline expects to return to profitability later this year.