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Friday, October 23, 2026

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Companies · Friday, October 23, 2026

American Airlines posts record sales and a loss on fuel

The File desk · Oct. 23, 2026, 7:00 a.m. ET

Confirmed1 primary sources

Status

Confirmed from American Airlines' earnings exhibit filed Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026. The figures and the forecast are the company's. The release does not say fares will rise.
  • Confirmed
    Third-quarter revenue was $16.3 billion, up 19.3 percent, and the company reported a net loss of $269 million.
  • Confirmed
    The company says fuel expense rose $1.9 billion from a year earlier, and that 2027 flight growth will slow. It does not say fares will rise.
American Airlines said Thursday that revenue for July through September was a record $16.3 billion, up 19.3 percent from a year earlier, and that it still lost $269 million. The company says fuel cost far more than a year ago.1
Fuel expense in the quarter increased $1.9 billion, or 67.5 percent, from a year earlier. American said it paid an average of $3.85 a gallon, against $2.37 a gallon a year earlier. For this quarter it expects about $4.70 a gallon, which it calls nearly double the fourth quarter of 2025, and it says fuel expense would then be about $2.8 billion higher than that year-ago quarter.1
The company also said network growth in 2027 will slow from 2026 levels, given those fuel prices. The release does not say fares will rise. Chief executive Robert Isom said historically high fuel prices significantly affected the results, and that the focus remains on restoring profitability.2
Why it matters (Estimate). Estimate. A record sales quarter still ended in a loss because jet fuel cost far more than a year ago. American says it will add flights more slowly in 2027. For a traveler, a slower schedule usually means fewer new seats, and the company does not say what that will do to the price of a ticket.
The exhibit is marked for release on Thursday, Oct. 22. The company listed a conference call at 7:30 a.m. Central, which is 8:30 a.m. Eastern. The page this desk used does not give the minute the release was posted.1
How we know

Notes

  1. 1.American Airlines Group Inc., Exhibit 99.1 to the Form 8-K filed Oct. 22, 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6201/000000620126000064/a8kerexhibit991q3-26.htm “FOR RELEASE: Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026.” “Total revenue of $16.3 billion, up 19.3% year over year.” The table shows total operating revenues of $16,335 million against $13,691 million. “GAAP net loss of $269 million, or ($0.41) per diluted share.” Adjusted net loss $182 million, or ($0.28) a share. “Fuel expense for the quarter increased $1.9 billion, or 67.5%, year over year.” “American paid an average of $3.85 per gallon in the third quarter.” The table shows $3.85 against $2.37, up 62.7 percent. “Based on the forward fuel curve as of Oct. 19, American anticipates an average fuel price of approximately $4.70 per gallon, nearly double the price paid in the fourth quarter of 2025. At that price, fuel expense is expected to increase approximately $2.8 billion.” Fourth-quarter revenue growth “between 19.5% and 22.5%.” “Given elevated fuel prices, American expects network growth in 2027 to slow from 2026 levels.” The release does not say fares will rise. A separate 10-Q was filed the same day and was not the source of these figures.
  2. 2.Same exhibit. Robert Isom: “While historically high fuel prices significantly impacted our financial results, our focus remains on restoring profitability and building a stronger American for the long term.” Premium revenue increased 22.9 percent, and main-cabin revenue increased 19.5 percent. Liquidity was $11.8 billion. The economy desk noted a conference call at 7:30 a.m. Central. This page does not print that clock. 7:30 a.m. Central is 8:30 a.m. Eastern.

What is still unknown or disputed

  • Whether fares will rise. The release does not say they will.
  • The share-price move. Not taken from a primary market record for this story.
  • The exact minute the release was posted. Not on the page used here.

Primary sources

Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.

  1. Source 1

    American Airlines third-quarter 2026 exhibit

    U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission · October 22, 2026

    Total revenue of $16.3 billion, up 19.3 percent. GAAP net loss of $269 million. Fuel expense increased $1.9 billion.

    https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/6201/000000620126000064/a8kerexhibit991q3-26.htm

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