thetaOwl

AAL

American Airlines Group, Inc.Close $12.95EOD only
Max Pain
$12.50
Next expiry May 22, 2026
Expected Move
±$0.52
4.0% from close
Price Gap
-0.45
Distance to max pain
IV Rank
38
Middle-high premium
P/C OI
1.86
Slightly put-heavy
Consensus
4/4
Partial coverage
Published snapshot: May 20, 2026 close
End-of-day snapshot

This page reflects AAL options positioning from the latest published market-close snapshot. Intraday price and contract changes are not displayed.

Published Snapshot
May 20, 2026 close
AAL Flow Report
Analysis based on market close April 2, 2026

Consensus-supported lens with chain history and key metrics in the rail.

Flow Verdict

BiasBearish
Confirmation: Spot sustains below $10.50 and put flow continues to dominate volume (P/C > 1.2), confirming a shift from prior bullish attack.
Invalidation: Spot reclaims $11.00 with renewed, high-premium call buying (net premium > +$0.5M), negating the bearish reversal signal.
Confidence:
7 / 10
base 5; +1 bearish flow regime (P/C 1.25, net prem -$1.8M); +1 spot reversal below key gamma flip; +0.5 negative GEX aligns with new bearish flow; -0.5 high IV may exaggerate moves

Watch next session: Defense of the $10.00 put wall; Flow in the $10.50-$11.00 strike zone; Any large block trades in the 4/10 or 4/17 expirations

Flow Summary

Net premium: -$1.8M bearish

P/C volume ratio: 1.25 — put-dominant

P/C OI ratio: 1.59 — heavy legacy put positioning

A clear reversal from the prior bullish flow regime. Net premium flipped negative with put volume dominating, suggesting institutional sentiment turned defensive as spot failed to hold above the critical gamma flip level.

Notable Prints

#1
AAL 4/2/26 $10.50 Call
Vol: 11,861
OI: 5,814
Vol/OI: 2.0x
IV: 75.0%
Notional: ~$62,000
Intent: Likely closing/selling of near-expiration calls
Dual read: Sold to close (bulls taking profit/giving up) or bought (last-minute lottery ticket)

Read-through: With spot at $10.84, these $10.50 calls are ITM. High volume vs. OI on expiration day is classic closing activity. This represents the unwinding of prior bullish bets, aligning with the bearish flow shift.

#2
AAL 4/10/26 $11.00 Put
Vol: 3,386
OI: 2,140
Vol/OI: 1.6x
IV: 58.2%
Notional: ~$37,000
Intent: New protective put buying or bearish speculation
Dual read: Bought to open (bearish) or sold (neutral/bullish, writing puts)

Read-through: This is meaningful new put flow just above spot ($10.84) with 8 days to expiry. The elevated IV and volume/OI ratio suggest new positioning, likely a hedge against a drop below $11 or a direct bearish bet.

#3
AAL 4/2/26 $7.00 Call
Vol: 458
OI: 142
Vol/OI: 3.2x
IV: 878.1%
Notional: ~$320
Intent: Expiration day lottery ticket or spread leg
Dual read: Bought (near-zero probability bet) or sold (closing)

Read-through: Extreme IV and deep OTM strike on expiry day. Economically insignificant notional; this is noise, not a directional signal.

Institutional Positioning

Call additions: Minimal. Top premium strikes are legacy ($12, $10.50, $5 calls). New flow shows call closing, not opening.

Put additions: New interest in $11.00 puts (4/10) and continued large premium at far OTM strikes ($17-$18).

GEX/DEX consistency: Yes — Negative GEX (-$59.6M) in a trending regime is now aligned with bearish flow, suggesting downside moves could accelerate.

OI clusters: Massive $10.00 Put wall remains (OI > 280K). $8.00 Put wall (OI > 108K). $12.00 Call/Put cluster (~40K OI each).

Hedging evidence: Strong evidence remains. The giant $10 and $8 put walls are the dominant structural feature. New $11 put flow suggests hedging is being moved closer to spot.

Max pain context: Spot ($10.84) is now much closer to the immediate max pain ($10.00 for 3/27, $11.00 for 4/2). The falling MP trend across expirations and spot's failure to hold above $11 suggests gravity is pulling price toward the massive put OI concentrations.

Signal vs Noise

~Large put premium at $18, $18.50, $16.50, $17, $25: These far OTM strikes (60-130% below spot) are still tail-risk hedging or part of complex spreads, not new directional bearish bets.
~$10.50 Call volume (4/2 expiry): High volume on expiration day is overwhelmingly closing activity, not new bullish positioning.
~$7.00 Call volume (4/2): Lottery ticket noise due to expiration and extreme IV.

Key Conclusions

🔄Flow Regime Reversal: From strongly bullish (3/31) to bearish today. Net premium flipped negative and P/C ratio turned put-dominant, indicating a swift shift in institutional sentiment.
⚔️Battle Shifts to Defense: The prior bullish attack on $11-$12 has failed. New flow is defensive (closing calls, adding $11 puts), with price now testing down toward the massive $10 put fortress.
📉GEX Alignment is Bearish: Negative GEX (-$59.6M) in a trending regime now works with the bearish flow, increasing the risk of an accelerated move lower if the $10 support breaks.
🧱$10.00 is the Final Bull Line: The colossal put OI at $10 represents the ultimate support. A break below this gamma flip level would likely trigger significant dealer hedging (selling) and open a path to $8.
How to Use These Reports
This flow reflects the market close on April 2, 2026.
What the reports do

Each report translates the same market-close options snapshot into a specific lens such as directional bias, premium-selling posture, flow quality, or earnings setup.

How traders use them

Reports are most useful for narrowing the playbook, surfacing entry and risk context, and deciding which raw data page to inspect next.

What to remember

These are interpretation layers, not execution guarantees. Validate the setup against chain liquidity, expected move, and exposure before sizing risk.

If the report conviction and the raw data disagree, slow down and resolve the mismatch before sizing risk.