American Airlines Posts Record Q3 Revenue of $16.34 Billion, Up 19.3%, but Fuel Costs Up 67.5% Drive $269 Million Loss; Full-Year Outlook Cut to a Loss of $1.00-$1.60 a Share
FORT WORTH, Texas — American Airlines Group reported third-quarter 2026 results on Thursday, October 22. Total revenue rose 19.3% year over year to a record $16.34 billion for a third quarter, but the company posted a net loss of $269 million, or $0.41 per diluted share, wider than the $114 million loss, or $0.17 a share, a year earlier. Excluding net special items of $87 million after tax, the adjusted net loss was $182 million, or $0.28 a share.
Fuel was the main driver of the loss: third-quarter fuel expense jumped 67.5%, or about $1.9 billion, to $4.64 billion, at an average price of $3.85 per gallon. Demand remained strong, with passenger revenue up 19.5% to $14.9 billion, cargo revenue up 29.1% to $274 million, and premium-cabin revenue up 22.9%.
The airline sharply cut its full-year outlook, forecasting an adjusted loss of $1.00 to $1.60 per share for 2026, down from its July guidance range of a loss of $0.65 to earnings of $0.65 a share. CNBC reported that American is the fourth major U.S. carrier to lower its 2026 outlook this month on high fuel prices, after Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines. For the fourth quarter, American forecast an adjusted loss of $0.50 to $1.10 a share, with revenue up 19.5% to 22.5% and capacity, in available seat miles, up 5.5% to 6.5%; its fourth-quarter fuel assumption is about $4.70 a gallon, based on the forward curve as of October 19. The company also said it plans to slow its network growth in 2027.
"American delivered record third-quarter revenue and the strongest year-over-year revenue growth in my career, with premium performance leading the way," Chief Executive Robert Isom said in the release.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国航空一架客机停靠在登机口（资料图）。照片：DiscoA340，CC BY-SA 4.0，经Wikimedia Commons。An American Airlines aircraft at a gate (file photo). Photo: DiscoA340, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
