American Airlines CEO Doug Parker will retire next March and be replaced by the airline's current president, Robert Isom.

American Airlines’ share price lost 45%, its biggest percentage decline since before the carrier’s 2013 merger with US Airways. Delta Airlines’ stock lost 31%, while United Airlines fell 51% over the last 12 months, its biggest drop since 2008. The S&P 500, meanwhile, rose by more than 16% in 2020. U.S. carriers’ increased their total debt by $67 billion in 2020 to more than $172 billion to weather the crisis, according to trade group Airlines for America. On the bright side, air travel demand has recovered a lot of ground compared with the volumes hit early in the pandemic.

But can you really get where you want to go using your frequent flyer miles? To find out, Consumer Reports asked staffers to try booking round-trip tickets using their frequent flyer miles with nine programs: Alaska, American, Delta, Frontier, Jet Blue, Southwest, Spirit, United and US Airways. Spirit required the most miles for the routes staffers checked, followed by US Airways. Whatever you do, Consumer Reports says don't hoard frequent flyer miles. Consumer Reports says that if you can't book a seat using miles, try calling the frequent-flyer service desk.