Twenty-five years after the September 11, 2001 attacks, two of America's largest airlines are pausing to reflect on a day that reshaped their companies, the aviation industry, and the world. Both American Airlines and Delta Air Lines marked the milestone anniversary in 2026 with tributes that combine personal memory with community action.

American Airlines: Leadership Reflects on a Defining Day

To mark 25 years since September 11, American Airlines released a video featuring current CEO Robert Isom alongside five former chief executives — Doug Parker, Tom Horton, Gerard Arpey, Don Carty and Bob Crandall. In it, the leaders share their personal recollections of that day and speak to the resilience the American Airlines team has shown ever since.

The tribute underscores how deeply the events of 9/11 are woven into the airline's history and culture, offering a rare, multi-generational perspective from the executives who guided the company through the years that followed.

Delta Air Lines: Honoring Lives Lost Through Service

Delta marked the anniversary differently, through action. The airline sponsored 9/11 Day and joined the nonprofit's national volunteer movement for what became the largest single day of volunteerism in Delta's history. Roughly 1,500 Delta employees and customers came together across 40 cities to pack meals for Feeding America food banks, standing in solidarity with communities still affected by the tragedy.

This marked the fourth consecutive year Delta has partnered with 9/11 Day. CEO Ed Bastian reflected on the anniversary in personal terms, recalling that what struck him most was the silence over the skies near Delta's Atlanta headquarters in the days after the attacks — a memory he says he will never forget. He described the airline's ongoing mission as carrying that memory forward by serving communities with unity, compassion and resilience.

A Shared Commitment to Remembrance

Though their approaches differ — one rooted in leadership testimony, the other in hands-on service — both American Airlines and Delta are using the 25th anniversary of 9/11 to honor the lives lost and reaffirm their commitment to the communities and teams that carried the industry forward. Together, these tributes reflect how the events of September 11 continue to shape the culture, values and public commitments of America's airlines a quarter century later.