FORT WORTH, Texas, March 10, 2026, 14:19 CDT
American Airlines Group Inc. boosted its available revolving credit lines to $3.11 billion and extended their maturity out to March 2031, according to a late Monday filing. The move gives the carrier extra flexibility, just as another spike in jet-fuel prices drags airline finances back into the spotlight.
The timing is crucial: American still sits near the top of the debt heap among major U.S. carriers. Back in January, the company reported wrapping up 2025 with $36.5 billion in total debt and $9.2 billion in total available liquidity. Executives have now told investors they’re aiming to pull total debt below $35 billion in 2026—one year ahead of their previous goal.
Fuel bills are surging again. Most U.S. airlines have dropped fuel hedges—those contracts that fix prices—so they take the hit when oil spikes. Last week, Reuters flagged that spot jet fuel on the U.S. Gulf Coast hit its highest mark since June 2022.
American bumped up its total revolving commitments tied to its 2013, 2014, and 2023 credit facilities, now at $3.11 billion from $3.0 billion. According to the filing, maturities for each facility were pushed out to March 5, 2031, instead of the previous June 4, 2029 date. Aside from that, most terms stayed the same.
Morgan Stanley’s Ravi Shanker expects U.S. airlines to keep avoiding fuel hedging, opting instead to “look to pass through the costs to end consumers” if fuel prices keep climbing. According to Reuters calculations from regulatory filings, a 1 cent bump in jet-fuel cost per gallon tacks on roughly $50 million to American’s annual bill. Reuters
American shares dropped roughly 1.4% in afternoon trading Tuesday. Delta Air Lines eased off around 0.6%, while United Airlines skidded close to 2%.
American has been pitching 2026 as the turnaround year. Back in January, the company projected adjusted earnings between $1.70 and $2.70 a share. Free cash flow? They expect it to clear $2 billion, banking on more travelers opting for premium seats, some recovery in corporate bookings, and a bump in loyalty program revenue.
American is set to appear at the J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference on March 17. Reuters, on another note, said most big U.S. airlines are anticipated to refresh their guidance before the industry event next week.
Still, that extra credit capacity doesn’t erase the main risk here. Reuters previously noted American caters more to price-conscious leisure flyers and operates plenty of short-haul routes. Delta, on the other hand, has a partial hedge through its refinery. TD Cowen analyst Tom Fitzgerald put it bluntly: without a sharp decline in energy prices, “hard to envision margin expansion this year.” Reuters
The shift comes as American works to narrow its sizable profit gap with Delta and United. According to Reuters, American posted $352 million in adjusted pretax profit in 2025. Delta reported roughly $5 billion, United $4.6 billion. Management still insists its turnaround plan is set to deliver in 2026.
