American Airlines also highlighted how, helped by record free cash flow of $2.2 billion, it had made big progress in meeting its debt reduction targets from its 2021 peak. According to American Airlines’ 2024 financial report, lowering debt levels will remain a priority for American Airlines’ management during this fiscal year.

Shares of American Airlines plunged Thursday after the carrier released a disappointing 2025 profit outlook even as its earnings topped expectations in the most recent quarter.

Global airline American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL) announced in Q4 CY2024, with sales up 4.6% year on year to $13.66 billion. Its non-GAAP profit of $0.86 per share was 30.1% above analysts’ consensus estimates.

American Airlines forecast 2025 profit below Wall Street expectations on Thursday, hurt by an uptick in jet fuel prices and efforts to fix a sales-strategy misstep that drove away corporate travelers.

Despite this record-breaking quarter to end last year, however, American Airlines stock has dropped to begin 2025. For the current quarter ending in March, American Airlines expects its results to range from a loss of 40 cents per share to a loss of 20 cents per share. The company expects full-year earnings in the range of $1.70 to $2.70 per share.