... systemic issues that have worked their way into the training department are tough to root out, especially for a carrier of that size.
Yes, and don't expect these issues to just 'go away' anytime soon.
From the maintenance hangar (many violations and FAA fines) to the flight ops department (many incidents and accidents) AA is but a shadow of its former self...competancy-wise.
I suspect that if they were from a foreign country, they would be rated category two.