David Seymour
Chief Operating Officer
David Seymour is American’s Chief Operating Officer. He leads all of American’s operations, including airport operations, flight operations, technical operations, inflight, safety, global security and the Integrated Operations Center, where the airline’s daily operations are managed. He is also responsible for operational risk management and the customer experience strategy and execution.
David’s aviation career began at the airline in 1999. Throughout his career, he has held a variety of leadership roles in materials and planning, operations control and planning, crew resources and scheduling, technical operations and flight operations. Most recently, David served as Senior Vice President of Operations. He was named Chief Operating Officer in 2020.
After college, David served as an airborne infantry officer in the U.S. Army. He later held numerous management positions in purchasing, inventory management, warehouse distribution, logistics and finance. David is an executive sponsor for American’s Veterans & Military Employee Business Resource Group, an employee-led organization that supports veterans, current military service members and their families.
David holds a Master of Management in marketing and transportation from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in mathematical science of operations research from the U.S. Military Academy. He now serves on the Wings Club Board of Governors, an organization that fosters opportunities for students to pursue an education in the field of aviation.
He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1986 and completed the Infantry Officer Basic Course. In 1987, after graduation from U.S. Army Ranger School, David was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, where he served as a platoon leader and company executive officer. In 1989, he was reassigned to the 18th Airborne Corps where he served as the aide-de-camp for the corps chief of staff and later for the deputy commanding general. He completed his active service in 1991 as the operations officer for the U.S. Army Parachute Team “Golden Knights.”