American has been taking heat in the past month amid analyst complaints about its underperformance and its lack of a flight plan for success. Indeed, its stock dropped 41% yesterday as more than one analyst suggested it put itself out of its misery and file for bankruptcy.

Thus is after a number of other analysts signalled they lost patience with management over a year ago and, more recently, called for management to step aside for the sake of the company. Compounding the recession fears was the fact pilot retirements are 10 times the monthly norm as contract provisions allow pilots to take the best share price of the previous 60 days, signalling they are trying to protect their share price-based pensions.