Don’t want to get into the political side, and TBH there’s no need to.
Speaking as a passenger, I avoided flying with AR for as long as I could, for lots of the sentiments stated above.
I’ve flown two return trips with them BUE <-> NYC, and both times they were far more pleasant and... I think the word I’m looking for is human, than American Airlines. Particularly as I was flying with a few kids.
Their economy class does not offer something like AA’s Main Cabin Extra, where for a decent price you can get a seat with a few inches more of legroom. But their permissive attitude towards several of our needs far outweighed that.
Their safety record is excellent, and I would not think twice about choosing them over AA in the future.
And as an agent, I know I am far from alone in thinking so. In fact, I remember the moment I went “Damn, (...) was right”.