What does American Airlines actually need to fix itself? According to Oscar Munoz, who ran United through its own turnaround, the answer isn't more planes or cheaper fares — it's a leader who can win over staff and give frequent flyers a reason to come back. And the person he says fits that profile right now is Ben Minicucci, chief executive of Alaska Airlines.
Munoz made the comments on the September 30 episode of the Airlines Confidential podcast, joining longtime aviation writer Scott McCartney as guest co-host. After McCartney interviewed Minicucci, Munoz praised him as "a great operator" who understands that airlines are fundamentally people serving people. The qualities he listed — operational credibility, strategic smarts, humility and an ability to connect with employees — are, in his view, exactly the ingredients American is missing at the top.
The broader argument, which Munoz has been making for a while, is that American is in better shape than its reputation suggests. Over the past 18 months the airline has rolled out genuine improvements: new lounges in Philadelphia, better food and Lavazza coffee in its clubs, upgraded business class bedding, pajamas and mattress pads on more long-haul routes, free high-speed wifi across narrowbody aircraft, and new premium-heavy Boeing 787-9s and Airbus A321XLRs on order. A refurbished Boeing 777-300ER with 70 business class suites was shown to media earlier this month, and executives Nat Pieper and Heather Garboden talked up a focus on passenger frustrations rather than cost-cutting.
The catch, as Munoz sees it, is that product alone doesn't rebuild an airline. Lounges take years to open, Starlink wifi installs only begin next year, and most travellers won't touch the new cabins for a while. What's needed is a CEO who can tell a consistent story, get staff genuinely invested — with accountability when managers don't deliver — and win back high-value customers. Chasing market share directly, he says, failed at United; building relevance with employees and loyal customers is what works. With American carrying heavy debt and thin margins, an economic downturn could stall the whole effort.
Why should a traveller care? Because these investments directly shape your next long-haul flight: better business class seats, free wifi, improved standby rules and a more capable app are all landing now, while the leadership question determines whether they continue. If you fly American premium cabins regularly, the next year or two will tell you whether the airline is becoming a genuine alternative to Delta and United — or whether financial pressure forces it back into a cost-cutting posture. Frequent flyers on oneworld carriers should also watch the Alaska angle: Minicucci's airline leans on its American partnership (and possibly a future joint venture) to stretch its network, so the two carriers' fates are increasingly linked.
