American Airlines reached a record revenue of $54.6 billion in 2025, but closed the year with only $111 million in net profit, pointing to a profit margin of about 0.2%.
In the same period, Delta Air Lines earned $5 billion in profit on $63.4 billion in revenue, while United Airlines reported $3.35 billion in profit on $59.1 billion in revenue. Although smaller in scale, Alaska Air Group’s profit was also quite close to American’s level.
In proportional terms, American Airlines generated about $2 million in profit for every $1 billion in revenue, whereas Delta’s figure was around $79 million.
American Airlines cited operational disruptions, the impact of shutdowns, and investments in premium products as the reasons behind the results.
