I think you're misunderstanding the concept of "conflict of interest". In this case, the news story was written by the same company that the news story is about. They have a direct financial stake in the public's perception of them, and are writing the story that helps shape that same perception. That's the conflict.

If the story was about American Airlines' employee compensation practices, and it was published by the Air Line Pilots Association, then the same conflict would arise. But if the story is about aviation in general, then the conflict goes away and the pilot is a good source of expert knowledge.