American Airlines Hires Industry Veteran to Lead Its Sales Team

American airlines hired nearly three-decade industry veteran Nat Pieper as new commercial chief as carrier’s profits lag rivals Delta And United.

American ousted its former chief commercial officer, Vasu Raja, in 2024 after his corporate travel strategy backfired and sparked backlash from lucrative corporate travel agencies, while revenue forecasts fell sharply.

Pieper, 56, has worked in the industry since the late 1990s with experience at Northwest Airlines, Delta and Alaska Airlines. Most recently, he led the massive Oneworld airline alliance that includes American, British Airways and others. His positions included senior roles in networks, alliances, fleet strategy and finance.

“He is exactly the kind of leader we are looking for at American: a collaborative, formidable leader who is relentlessly focused on delivering results while keeping an eye on the future,” American CEO Robert Isom said in a staff memo, which was seen by CNBC.

Pieper told CNBC in an interview last month that Oneworld airlines need to do more to improve technology to make travel smoother for customers, even when moving between partner airlines, a hint at how he might improve technology during his time at American.

He starts Nov. 3 and will oversee, among other things, the Fort Worth, Texas-based airline’s business strategy, loyalty program, network planning and revenue and sales departments, American said.