American Airlines generated record third-quarter revenue, with strong growth in premium and corporate travel, but still lost money as fuel costs surged. There are encouraging signs here, including across its smaller Pacific network, though the carrier again failed to turn stronger revenue into profitability.

American Airlines Reports Q3 Loss Despite Record Revenue And Stronger Premium Demand

American Airlines has reported its third-quarter 2026 results , and the central problem is familiar after reviewing Delta and United : passengers are paying more, but fuel is consuming much of the improvement.

American’s key results included:

Metric Q3 2026 Result

Total revenue $16.3 billion, up 19.3%

Reported net loss $269 million

Net loss excluding special items $182 million

Premium revenue Up 22.9%

Managed corporate revenue Up 27.6%

Additional fuel expense versus last year Approximately $1.9 billion

Non-fuel unit costs, excluding special items and profit sharing, increased 3%.…