The hold times are not exclusive to AA. I had to call DL three times in the past 14 days, and the shortest hold time was three hours, the longest over five hours.

In my case, I drove from my office to the airport to change a DL flight, while waiting for a DL agent on the phone. Found driving to the airport 45 minutes away, parking, and going to the counter at a major DL hub quicker than making a change on the phone.

Have zero idea why the hold times on AA and DL are so long (as a AA EXP I have almost zero hold time). I fly 8-12 segments weekly, and every flight is full, and full with non business travelers. Maybe the stimulus checks are triggering lots of ticket purchases... who knows, but it is not like nine months ago when the flights were often under capacity. Maybe unfamiliar travelers take much longer time per call with a AA customer service rep- could be part of the backlog.....