The San Francisco 49ers wide receiver, Ricky Pearsall, recently got stuck at the airport for hours and possibly had the worst flight experience of his life. Frustrated by the situation, he took to X to call out the $9.16 billion aviation giant over everything that went wrong.

“Mannnn… @AmericanAir delaying my flight till the next morning w a $12 voucher was already crazy, but breaking all 4 of my bags too?” Pearsall noted on X, “Y’all need to take notes from @JAL_Official_jp. Smh … Which airline should I rock with?”

Apparently, besides the flight delay, Pearsall’s luggage was also reportedly damaged during the journey.

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In the process of calling out American Airlines, Pearsall gave a shoutout to the better facilities provided by Japan Airlines (JAL), drawing a clear comparison between the two experiences.

And expectedly, his X post didn’t go unnoticed by American Airlines.

“It saddens us to hear about your experience and the damage caused to your bag,” American Airlines replied to the post. “Feel free to DM us your confirmation code so we can take a closer look and advise further.”

Since then, Pearsall hasn’t shared any further updates.

American Airlines, one of the largest carriers in the U.S., boasts an estimated net worth of $9.16 billion. It operates over 6,800 flights to 350+ destinations in 48 countries, serving around 200 million passengers a year with a workforce of about 130,000.

Despite its scale, the airline has often faced criticism over its services. In the past, it was called out over a tense check-in experience when travel blogger and YouTuber Ben Schlappig was trying to rebook loved ones after a delayed Philadelphia–Miami flight. In another incident in December 2025, the airline was hit with a federal lawsuit filed by eighteen former student pilots.

Last year, an American Airlines passenger also spoke out about her experience after receiving a $12 meal voucher for a six-hour delay, only to find that all the restaurants were closed, making the voucher useless and adding to her frustration.

Now, Pearsall’s public call-out may have added to the already existing criticism, but it’s nothing new. Such experiences keep happening to multiple NFL players, given how often they travel.

Running Back Cam Skattebo shares the same poor experience with the airline

The New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo also lashed out at American Airlines Group, sharing his experience on social media earlier this month.

“American Airlines… A JOKE,” Skattebo wrote on X, clearly frustrated with the airline.

The post immediately started gaining traction online, with many people chiming in to complain about similar issues and question the reliability of the airline. However, Skattebo did not explain what exactly went wrong during his travel.

Therefore, his fans were left speculating about what could have caused Skattebo to make such a post. Moreover, Skattebo’s post also raised suspicions because he had been inactive on social media for quite a while.

Skattebo was selected by the Giants in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, making an early impact by garnering 410 yards on the ground and five touchdowns in eight games, along with 24 catches for 207 yards and two touchdowns.

Unfortunately, his rookie season ended abruptly when he dislocated his ankle in Week 8 against the Philadelphia Eagles in October 2025. After being active online at first, he went quiet for several months before returning with this post. In fact, his last post had been on January 17th when he was advertising his upcoming performance at the WoW Pre-Game Tavern.

This is unlike Pearsall’s situation, where the company responded to his post. Nevertheless, Skattebo’s post garnered approximately 1.8 million views despite the fact that the airline never responded to Skattebo’s post. So far, neither party has provided any further updates.

Now, after Pearsall’s recent experience, some people supported the criticism and shared their own bad experiences.

“Similar bad experience. Delayed flight, missed connection, and to top it off, they forgot my bags. @AmericanAir, you need to do better,” one fan wrote.

Overall, Pearsall’s recent comment adds to the growing criticism surrounding the airline’s service, once again putting the spotlight on passenger experiences.