David Seymour on flight operations
From American Airlines COO on travel chaos during government shutdown · · Good Morning America
“We are operating over 6,000 flights today, but the shutdown has forced us to cancel 220 flights, which impacts our customers and their travel plans.”
On , David Seymour, Executive VP & COO at American Airlines Group Inc, spoke about flight operations during American Airlines COO on travel chaos during government shutdown on Good Morning America.
About David Seymour
David Seymour, the chief operating officer of American Airlines, discussed the airline's operational performance and challenges in several media appearances. On a February 2026 podcast, he addressed weather-related disruptions that hit the airline hard, noting that the airline's technology did not fail during the events. He stated that the airline's size and infrastructure, particularly at hubs like Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and Charlotte, contributed to the scale of the impact when both were affected simultaneously. In a November 2025 interview, Seymour commented on a government shutdown, thanking federal workers for working without pay and stating that the shutdown forced the cancellation of 220 flights. He said the airline was operating over 6,000 flights and offered passengers refunds or rebooking options, and he implored Congress to reopen the government, calling aviation "super critical" to the nation. In a December 2024 interview, Seymour discussed his background as a former Army officer and the leadership skills veterans bring to the civilian workforce. He highlighted American Airlines' support for military and veteran programs, including the Snowball Express for Gold Star families. In a June 2023 internal podcast, Seymour attributed the airline's improved reliability to a new operational philosophy of "solving the system" rather than individual problems, and he stated that the airline had posted its best May since the merger. He said the team was "a lot more nimble, lot more adaptable, and certainly a lot better structurally prepared to operate the airline."