American Airlines

American Airlines, Inc. is a major airline in the United States headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and is the largest airline in the world in terms of passengers carried and daily flights.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> American, along with its regional subsidiaries and contractors operating under the brand name American Eagle, operate an extensive international and domestic network with almost 6,800 flights per day to nearly 350 destinations in 48 countries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The airline is also a founding member of the Oneworld alliance, one of the world's three major airline alliances.

American Airlines and American Eagle operate out of ten hubs, with Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) being the largest. The airline serves more than 200 million passengers annually, and averages more than 500,000 daily. Template:As of, the company employs 103,440 staff members.

History

File:American DC-3.jpg

DC-3 "Flagship" American's chief aircraft type during the World War II period

American Airlines was started in 1930 as a union of more than eighty small airlines.<ref name="ap">Template:Cite news</ref> The two organizations from which American Airlines originated were Robertson Aircraft Corporation and Colonial Air Transport. The former was first created in Missouri in 1921, with both being merged in 1929 into holding company The Aviation Corporation. This, in turn, was made in 1930 into an operating company and rebranded as American Airways. In 1934, when new laws and attrition of mail contracts forced many airlines to reorganize, the corporation redid its routes into a connected system and was renamed American Airlines. The airline fully developed its international business between 1970 and 2000. It purchased Trans World Airlines in 2001.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

American had a direct role in the development of the Douglas DC-3, which resulted from a marathon telephone call from American Airlines CEO C. R. Smith to Douglas Aircraft Company founder Donald Wills Douglas Sr., when Smith persuaded a reluctant Douglas to design a sleeper aircraft based on the DC-2 to replace American's Curtiss Condor II biplanes. (The existing DC-2's cabin was Template:Convert wide, too narrow for side-by-side berths.) Douglas agreed to proceed with development only after Smith informed him of American Airline's intention to purchase 20 aircraft. The prototype DST (Douglas Sleeper Transport) first flew on December 17, 1935, the 32nd anniversary of the Wright Brothers' flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Its cabin was Template:Convert wide, and a version with 21 seats instead of the 14–16 sleeping berths of the DST was given the designation DC-3. There was no prototype DC-3; the first DC-3 built followed seven DSTs off the production line and was delivered to American Airlines.<ref>Pearcy, Arthur. Douglas DC-3 Survivors, Volume 1. Bourne End, Bucks, UK: Aston Publications, 1987. Template:ISBN, p. 17</ref> American Airlines inaugurated passenger service on June 26, 1936, with simultaneous flights from Newark, New Jersey, and Chicago, Illinois.<ref>Holden, Henry. "DC-3 History" Template:Webarchive. dc3history.org. Retrieved October 7, 2010.</ref>

File:Exiting plane-El Paso Airport 1957.jpg

Passengers exiting plane at the El Paso Airport in 1957

American also had a direct role in the development of the DC-10, which resulted from a specification from American Airlines to manufacturers in 1966 to offer a widebody aircraft that was smaller than the Boeing 747, but capable of flying similar long-range routes from airports with shorter runways. McDonnell Douglas responded with the DC-10 trijet shortly after the two companies' merger.<ref name=Waddington_p06>Waddington 2000, pp. 6–18.</ref> On February 19, 1968, the president of American Airlines, George A. Spater, and James S. McDonnell of McDonnell Douglas announced American's intention to acquire the DC-10. American Airlines ordered 25 DC-10s in its first order.<ref>Endres 1998, p. 16.</ref><ref>"American Orders 25 'Airbus' Jets". Template:Webarchive St. Petersburg Times, September 14, 2011.</ref> The DC-10 made its first flight on August 29, 1970,<ref>Endres 1998, pp. 25–26.</ref> and received its type certificate from the FAA on July 29, 1971.<ref>Endres 1998, p. 28.</ref> On August 5, 1971, the DC-10 entered commercial service with American Airlines on a round-trip flight between Los Angeles and Chicago.<ref>Endres 1998, p. 52.</ref>

In 2011, due to a downturn in the airline industry, American Airlines' parent company, the AMR Corporation, filed for bankruptcy protection. In 2013, American Airlines merged with US Airways but kept the American Airlines name, as it was the better-recognized brand internationally; the combination of the two airlines resulted in the creation of the largest airline in the United States, and ultimately the world.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In December 2023, the company was added to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Network

Destinations

Template:As of, American Airlines flies (or has flown) to the following destinations:

Hubs

A plane lands as other planes are parked in the background

American operates its largest hub at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

American currently operates ten hubs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

• Charlotte: American's hub for the southeastern United States and secondary Caribbean gateway.
• Chicago–O'Hare: American's hub for the Midwest.
• Dallas/Fort Worth: American's hub for the southern United States and largest hub overall.
• Los Angeles: American's hub for the West Coast and secondary transpacific gateway.
• Miami: American's primary Latin American and Caribbean hub.
• New York–JFK: American's secondary transatlantic hub mainly serves destinations with high demand from local New York traffic.
• New York–LaGuardia: American's New York hub for domestic flights with a few exceptions.
• Philadelphia: American's primary transatlantic hub.
• Phoenix–Sky Harbor: American's southwestern hub.
• Washington–National: American's hub for the capital of the United States.

Interline agreements

American Airlines have interline agreements with the following airlines: Template:Div col

• Singapore Airlines

Alliance and codeshare agreements

American Airlines is a member of the Oneworld alliance and have codeshares with the following airlines:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Div col

• Aer Lingus
• Air Tahiti Nui
• Alaska Airlines
• British Airways
• Cape Air
• Cathay Pacific
• China Southern Airlines
• Etihad Airways
• Finnair
• Fiji Airways
• Gol Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Iberia
• IndiGo
• Japan Airlines
• JetSmart
• LAM Mozambique Airlines
• Malaysia Airlines
• Philippine Airlines<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Qantas
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Air Maroc
• Royal Jordanian
• Silver Airways
• SriLankan Airlines

Joint ventures

American Airlines has established three joint ventures with fellow Oneworld alliance members, expanding beyond basic codesharing to include coordinated route planning, scheduling, and revenue sharing on jointly operated routes.<ref name="Business agreements">Template:Cite web</ref> The Atlantic Joint Business covers transatlantic flights with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Finnair and Iberia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Pacific Joint Business encompasses transpacific flights with Japan Airlines.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref> A joint venture with Qantas covers routes between the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Cabins

Flagship First

File:American A321T First Class (11424575675).jpg

Flagship First on an Airbus A321

Flagship First is American's international and transcontinental first class product. It is offered only on Boeing 777-300ERs and select Airbus A321s, which American designates "A321T". The seats are fully lie-flat and offer direct aisle access with only one on each side of the aisle in each row.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As with the airline's other premium cabins, Flagship First offers wider food and beverage options, larger seats, and lounge access at certain airports.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> American offers domestic Flagship First service on transcontinental routes between New York–JFK and Los Angeles, New York–JFK and San Francisco, New York-JFK and Santa Ana, Boston and Los Angeles, and Miami and Los Angeles, as well as on the standard domestic route between New York-JFK and Boston.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The airline will debut new Flagship Suite premium seats and a revamped aircraft interior for its long-haul fleet with fresh deliveries of its Airbus A321XLR and Boeing 787-9 aircraft, beginning in 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Flagship Business

File:American A321T business class (11424746783).jpg

Flagship Business on an Airbus A321

Flagship Business is American's international and transcontinental business class product. It is offered on all Boeing 777-200ERs, Boeing 777-300ERs, Boeing 787-8s, and Boeing 787-9s, as well as select Airbus A321s. All Flagship Business seats are fully lie-flat.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> The amenities in Flagship Business include complimentary alcoholic/non-alcoholic beverages, multi-course meals, and lounge access.

First and Business

File:American’s first 737 Max (23864024057).jpg

First/Business on a Boeing 737 MAX 8

First class is the highest class of service on domestically configured aircraft. When such aircraft are used on international services this cabin is branded as business class. Seats range from Template:Convert in width and have Template:Convert of pitch.<ref name=":1" /> Dining options include complimentary alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages on all flights as well as standard economy snack offerings, enhanced snack basket selections on flights over Template:Convert, and meals on flights Template:Convert or longer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Template:Visible anchor

Premium Economy is American's economy plus product. It is offered on all widebody aircraft. The cabin debuted on the airline's Boeing 787-9s in late 2016<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> and is also available on Boeing 777-200s and -300s, and Boeing 787-8s. Premium Economy seats are wider than seats in the main cabin (American's economy cabin) and provide more amenities: Premium Economy customers get two free checked bags, priority boarding, and enhanced food and drink service, including free alcohol. This product made American Airlines the first U.S. carrier to offer a four-cabin aircraft.<ref name=":1" />

Main Cabin

File:American Airlines Airbus A321neo economy cabin.jpg

Main Cabin on an Airbus A321neo

Main Cabin (economy class) is American's economy product found on all mainline and regional aircraft in its fleet. Seats range from Template:Convert in width and have Template:Convert of pitch. American markets several rows within the main cabin immediately behind Main Cabin Extra as "Main Cabin Preferred", which requires an extra charge to select for those without status.<ref name=":1" />

Template:Visible anchor

Main Cabin Extra seats are located in the front few rows and exit rows of the economy cabin on all aircraft and have additional pitch, complimentary alcoholic beverages and boarding one group ahead of the main cabin.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It is available on all of the mainline fleet and American Eagle aircraft.<ref name=":1" />

Basic Economy

American also offers Basic Economy, the airline's lowest main cabin fare on many routes. Basic Economy consists of a Main Cabin ticket with numerous restrictions, including waiting until check-in for a seat assignment, no upgrades or refunds, and boarding in the last group.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Originally Basic Economy passengers could only carry a personal item. Later, American revised their Basic Economy policies to allow for a carry-on bag.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In May 2017, American announced it would add more seats to some of its Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets and reduce overall legroom in the basic economy class. The last three rows were to lose Template:Convert, going from the current Template:Convert. The remainder of the main cabin was to have Template:Convert of legroom. This "Project Oasis" seating configuration has since been expanded to all 737 MAX 8s as well as standard Boeing 737-800 and non-transcontinental Airbus A321 jets. New Airbus A321neo jets have been delivered with the same configuration. This configuration has been considered unpopular with passengers, especially American's frequent flyers, as the new seats have less padding, less legroom, and no seatback entertainment.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Reward programs

AAdvantage

Template:Main AAdvantage is the frequent flyer program for American Airlines. It was launched on May 1, 1981, and remains the largest frequent flyer program, with over 115 million members as of 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Miles accumulated in the program allow members to redeem tickets, upgrade service class, or obtain free or discounted car rentals, hotel stays, merchandise, or other products and services through partners. The most active members, based on the accumulation of Loyalty Points with American Airlines, are designated AAdvantage Gold, AAdvantage Platinum, AAdvantage Platinum Pro, and AAdvantage Executive Platinum elite members, with privileges such as separate check-in, priority upgrade, and standby processing, or free upgrades. AAdvantage status corresponds with Oneworld status levels allowing elites to receive reciprocal benefits from American's Oneworld partner airlines.<ref>oneworld Alliance Template:Webarchive. Aa.com (October 1, 2010). Retrieved on November 4, 2010.</ref>Template:Better source needed

AAdvantage co-branded credit cards are also available and offer other benefits. The cards are issued by CitiCards, a subsidiary of Citigroup, Barclaycard, and Bilt card in the United States,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> by several banks including Butterfield Bank and Scotiabank in the Caribbean,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and by Banco Santander in Brazil.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In December 2024, it was announced that American would be cutting ties with Barclays and would instead be rolling members into its partnership with Citigroup starting in 2026.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

AAdvantage allows one-way redemption, starting at 7,500 miles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Admirals Club

The Admirals Club was conceived by AA president C.R. Smith as a marketing promotion shortly after he was made an honorary Texas Ranger. Inspired by the Kentucky colonels and other honorary title designations, Smith decided to make particularly valued passengers "admirals" of the "Flagship fleet" (AA called its aircraft "Flagships" at the time).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Better source needed The list of admirals included many celebrities, politicians, and other VIPs, as well as more "ordinary" customers who had been particularly loyal to the airline.Template:Citation needed

There was no physical Admirals Club until shortly after the opening of LaGuardia Airport. During the airport's construction, New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia had an upper-level lounge for press conferences and business meetings. At one such press conference, he noted that the entire terminal was being offered for lease to airline tenants; after a reporter asked whether the lounge would be leased as well, LaGuardia replied that it would, and a vice president of AA immediately offered to lease the premises. The airline then procured a liquor license and began operating the lounge as the "Admirals Club" in 1939.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The second Admirals Club opened at Washington National Airport. Because it was illegal to sell alcohol in Virginia at the time, the club contained refrigerators for the use of its members so they could store their liquor at the airport.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For many years, membership in the Admirals Club (and most other airline lounges) was by the airline's invitation. After a passenger sued for discrimination,<ref name="timeac">Template:Cite news</ref> the club switched to a paid membership program in 1974.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>American Airlines, Inc., 64 C.A.B. 555 Template:Webarchive (1974).</ref>

Flagship Lounge

Though affiliated with the Admirals Club and staffed by many of the same employees, the Flagship Lounge is a separate lounge designed explicitly for customers flying in first class and business class on international flights and transcontinental domestic flights.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Corporate affairs

Business trends

The key trends for American Airlines are (as of the financial year ending 31 December):<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

	Net income (US$ m)Template:Efn	Number of employees (FTE, k)Template:Efn	Passenger enplanements (m)Template:Efn	Passenger load factor (%)Template:Efn	Fleet sizeTemplate:Efn	References
2015	7,610	99	201	83.0	946	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2016	2,676	101	198	81.7	930	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2017	1,919	103	194	81.9	948	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2018	1,412	102	203	82.0	956	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2019	1,686	104	215	84.6	942	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2020	−8,885	78	95	64.1	855	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2021	−1,993	97	165	75.3	865	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2022	127	102	199	82.9	925	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2023	822	103	210	83.5	965	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
2024	846	103	226	84.9	977	<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Ownership and structure

American Airlines, Inc., is publicly traded through its parent company, American Airlines Group Inc., under NASDAQ: AAL Template:NASDAQ, with a market capitalization of about $11 billion as of 2024, and is included in the S&P 500 index.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

American Eagle is a network of six regional carriers that operate under a codeshare and service agreement with American, operating flights to destinations in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, and Mexico. Three of these carriers are independent, and three are subsidiaries of American Airlines Group: Envoy Air Inc., Piedmont Airlines, Inc., and PSA Airlines Inc.<ref name=":0" />

Headquarters

File:AMRHeadquartersFortWorth.jpg

Image of the signs of the former headquarters

American Airlines is headquartered across several buildings in Fort Worth, Texas that it calls the "Robert L. Crandall Campus" in honor of former president and CEO Robert Crandall. The Template:Convert, five-building office complex called was designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The campus is located on 300 acres, adjacent to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, American's fortress hub.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Before it was headquartered in Texas, American Airlines was headquartered at 633 Third Avenue in the Murray Hill area of Midtown Manhattan, New York City.<ref>World Airline Directory. Flight International. March 20, 1975. "472". Template:Webarchive.</ref><ref>"Flatiron / Gramercy / Murray Hill / Union Square: Manhattan Neighborhood Map". Template:Webarchive About.com. Retrieved January 25, 2009.</ref> In 1979, American moved its headquarters to a site at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, which affected up to 1,300 jobs. Mayor of New York City Ed Koch described the move as a "betrayal" of New York City.<ref>Sterba, James P. "American Will Shift Headquarters From Manhattan to Dallas Airport; Big Economies Predicted". Template:Webarchive The New York Times. Thursday November 16, 1978. Page A1. Retrieved August 27, 2009.</ref> American moved to two leased office buildings in Grand Prairie, Texas.<ref name="FortWorthHQFinished">"American Airlines Finishes Moving into Headquarters Monday". Template:Webarchive Associated Press at Ocala Star-Banner. January 16, 1983. 6A. Google News 4 of 62. Retrieved August 27, 2009.</ref> On January 17, 1983, the airline finished moving into a $150 million ($Template:Inflation when adjusted for inflation), Template:Convert facility in Fort Worth; $147 million (about $Template:Inflation when adjusted for inflation) in Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport bonds financed the headquarters. The airline began leasing the facility from the airport, which owns the facility.<ref name="FortWorthHQFinished" /> Following the merger of US Airways and American Airlines, the new company consolidated its corporate headquarters in Fort Worth, abandoning the US Airways headquarters in Phoenix, AZ.

As of 2015, American Airlines is the corporation with the most significant presence in Fort Worth.<ref name="BrownSteveHQ">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2015, American announced it would build a new headquarters in Fort Worth. Groundbreaking began in the spring of 2016, and occupancy was completed in September 2019.<ref name="OwensWhitelyDouglas">Template:Cite news</ref> The airline plans to house 5,000 new workers in the building.<ref name=BrownSteveHQ />

It will be located on a Template:Convert property adjacent to the airline's flight academy and conference and training center, west of Texas State Highway 360, Template:Convert<ref name=OwensWhitelyDouglas /> west from the current headquarters. The airline will lease Template:Convert from Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, and this area will include the headquarters.<ref name=BrownSteveHQ /> Construction of the new headquarters began after the demolition of the Sabre facility, previously on the site.<ref name=OwensWhitelyDouglas />

The airline considered developing a new headquarters in Irving, Texas, on the old Texas Stadium site, before deciding to keep the headquarters in Fort Worth.<ref name=BrownSteveHQ />

Corporate identity

File:American Airlines logo.svg

American Airlines' fourth logo, used until 2013

Logo

In 1931, an American employee, Goodrich Murphy designed the AA logo as an entry in a logo contest. The eagle in the logo was copied from a Scottish hotel brochure.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The logo was redesigned by Massimo Vignelli in 1967.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Thirty years later, in 1997, American Airlines was able to make its logo Internet-compatible by buying the domain AA.com. AA is also American's two-letter IATA airline designator.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On January 17, 2013, American launched a new rebranding and marketing campaign with FutureBrand dubbed "A New American". This included a new logo, which includes elements of the 1967 logo.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

American Airlines faced difficulty obtaining copyright registration for their 2013 logo. On June 3, 2016, American Airlines sought to register it with the United States Copyright Office,<ref name="US Copyright Office Ruling">Template:Cite web</ref> but in October of that year, the Copyright Office ruled that the logo was ineligible for copyright protection, as it did not pass the threshold of originality, and was thus in the public domain.<ref name="US Copyright Office Ruling" /> American requested that the Copyright Office reconsider. Still, on January 8, 2018, the Copyright Office affirmed its initial determination.<ref name="US Copyright Office Ruling" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After American Airlines submitted additional materials, the Copyright Office reversed its decision on December 7, 2018, and ruled that the logo contained enough creativity to merit copyright protection.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Aircraft livery

American's early liveries varied widely, but a standard livery was adopted in the 1930s, featuring an eagle painted on the fuselage.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The eagle became a symbol of the company and inspired the name of American Eagle Airlines. Propeller aircraft featured an international orange lightning bolt running down the length of the fuselage, which was replaced by a simpler orange stripe with the introduction of jets.<ref>"Boeing 707 Jet Airliner Non-Stop Service between New York City and Los Angeles", Boeing Magazine 30 (1958), 66.</ref>

In the late 1960s, American commissioned designer Massimo Vignelli to develop a new livery. The original design called for a red, white, and blue stripe on the fuselage and a simple "AA" logo, without an eagle, on the tail; instead, Vignelli created a highly stylized eagle, which remained the company's logo until January 16, 2013.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:McDonnell Douglas MD-83 American Airlines N9615W (8516015305).jpg

American's previous livery on an MD-83 at O'Hare International Airport in May 2012

On January 17, 2013, American unveiled a new livery.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Before then, American had been the only major U.S. airline to leave most of its aircraft surfaces unpainted. This was because C. R. Smith would not say he liked painted aircraft and refused to use any liveries that involved painting the entire plane. Robert "Bob" Crandall later justified the distinctive natural metal finish by noting that less paint reduced the aircraft's weight, thus saving fuel costs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In January 2013, American launched a new rebranding and marketing campaign dubbed "The New American." In addition to a new logo, American Airlines introduced a new livery for its fleet. The airline calls the new livery and branding "a clean and modern update".<ref name="autogenerated1">Template:Cite web</ref> The current design features an abstract American flag on the tail, along with a silver-painted fuselage, as a throw-back to the old livery. The new design was painted by Leading Edge Aviation Services in California.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Doug Parker, the incoming CEO, indicated that the new livery could be short-lived, stating that "[the] only reason this is an issue now is that they just did it right in the middle [of the merger], which kind of makes it confusing, so that allows us, actually, to decide if we are going to do something different because we have so many airplanes to paint".<ref>King, Eric. (March 28, 2013) American Airline's New Livery Soon Could Become Its Old Look | NBC 5 Dallas–Fort Worth Template:Webarchive. Nbcdfw.com. Retrieved on July 18, 2013.</ref> The current logo and livery have had mixed criticism, with Design Shack editor Joshua Johnson writing that they "boldly and proudly communicate the concepts of American pride and freedom wrapped into a shape that instantly makes you think about an airplane",<ref name="designshackliverypraise">Template:Cite web</ref> and AskThePilot.com author Patrick Smith describing the logo as a linoleum knife poking through a shower curtain'.<ref name="patricksmithcriticism">Template:Cite web</ref> Later in January 2013, Bloomberg asked the designer of the 1968 American Airlines logo (Massimo Vignelli) on his opinion over the rebranding.<ref name="vignelliqna">Template:Cite news</ref>

File:American N980AN 737-800.jpg

Boeing 737-800 in the current livery at Boston Logan International Airport in June 2013

In the end, American let their employees decide the new livery's fate. On an internal website for employees, American posted two options, one the new livery and one a modified version of the old livery. All of the American Airlines Group employees (including US Airways and other affiliates) were able to vote.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> American ultimately decided to keep the new look. Parker announced that American would keep a US Airways and America West heritage aircraft in the fleet, with plans to add a heritage TWA aircraft and a heritage American plane with the old livery.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of September 2019, American has heritage aircraft for Piedmont, PSA, America West, US Airways, Reno Air, TWA, and AirCal in their fleet.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They also have two AA branded heritage 737-800 aircraft, an AstroJet N905NN,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the polished aluminum livery used from 1967 to 2013, N921NN.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Customer Service

American, both before and after the merger with US Airways, has consistently performed poorly in rankings. The Wall Street Journal's annual airline rankings have ranked American as the worst or second-worst U.S. carrier for ten of the past twelve years, and in the bottom three of U.S. Airlines for at least the past twelve years. The airline has persistently performed poorly in the areas of losing checked luggage and bumping passengers due to oversold flights.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Worker relations

The main representatives of key groups of employees are:

• The Allied Pilots Association is an in-house union which represents the nearly 15,000 American Airlines pilots; it was created in 1963 after the pilots left the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However the majority of American Eagle pilots are ALPA members.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• The Association of Professional Flight Attendants represents American Airlines flight attendants, including former USAirways flight attendants.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Flight attendants at wholly owned regional carriers (Envoy, Piedmont, and PSA) are all represented by Association of Flight Attendants – Communications Workers of America (AFA-CWA). US Airways flight attendants were active members of AFA-CWA before the merger, and they are honorary lifetime members. AFA-CWA is the largest flight attendant union in the industry.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• The Transport Workers Union-International Association of Machinists alliance (TWU-IAM) represents the majority of American Airlines employed fleet service agents, mechanics, and other ground workers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• American's customer service and gate employees belong to the Communications Workers of America/International Brotherhood of Teamsters Passenger Service Association.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• PAFCA-AAL represents the nearly 550 FAA-certificated Aircraft Dispatchers and Operations Specialists at American Airlines. This specialized group, many of whom are licensed pilots, former Air Traffic Control personnel, and military airmen share equal responsibility with the Pilot-in-Command for the safe conduct of each the flight.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Subsidiary companies

Sky Chefs

In 1942, American Airlines established Sky Chefs, a wholly-owned subsidiary, as a catering company to serve their fleet.<ref name="chefsolutions">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> In 1986, Sky Chefs was sold to Toronto-based Onex Capital Corporation for $170 million.<ref name="chefsolutions"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Template:Citation needed span Since 2001, it has been fully owned by the LSG Group.<ref name="times2001">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Flagship Hotels / Americana Hotels

In the late-1960s, American Airlines established the Flagship Hotels chain as a subsidiary of Sky Chefs. On July 21, 1972, American Airlines leased four hotels from the Loews Corporation, three of them branded as Americana Hotels, for a period of thirty years. American merged the hotels with their Flagship Hotels, and rebranded the entire chain as Americana Hotels.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1980, American Airlines sold Americana Hotels to Bass Brothers Enterprises of Fort Worth, Texas.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Concerns and conflicts

Environmental violations

Between October 1993 to July 1998, American Airlines was repeatedly cited for using high-sulfur fuel in motor vehicles at 10 major airports around the country, a violation of the Clean Air Act.<ref name="epa">Template:Cite web</ref>

Lifetime AAirpass

Template:Main In 1981, as a means of creating revenue in a period of loss-making, American Airlines offered a lifetime pass of unlimited travel for the initial cost of $250,000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This entitled the pass holder to fly anywhere in the world. Twenty-eight were sold. However, after some time, the airline realized they were making losses on the tickets, with the ticketholders costing them up to $1 million each. Ticketholders were booking large numbers of flights with some ticketholders flying interstate for lunch or flying to London multiple times a month. AA raised the cost of the lifetime pass to $3 million, and then finally stopped offering it in 2003. AA then used litigation to cancel two of the lifetime offers, saying the passes "had been terminated due to fraudulent activity".<ref name="pass">Template:Cite web</ref>

Cabin fume events

• In 1988, on American Airlines Flight 132's approach into Nashville, flight attendants notified the cockpit that there was smoke in the cabin. The flight crew in the cockpit ignored the warning, as on a prior flight, a fume event had occurred due to a problem with the auxiliary power unit. However, the smoke on Flight 132 was caused by improperly packaged hazardous materials. According to the NTSB inquiry, the cockpit crew persistently refused to acknowledge that there was a serious threat to the aircraft or the passengers, even after they were told that the floor was becoming soft and passengers had to be reseated. As a result, the aircraft was not evacuated immediately on landing, exposing the crew and passengers to the threat of smoke and fire longer than necessary.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• On April 11, 2007, toxic smoke and oil fumes leaked into the aircraft cabin as American Airlines Flight 843 taxied to the gate. A flight attendant who was present in the cabin subsequently filed a lawsuit against Boeing, stating that she was diagnosed with neurotoxic disorder due to her exposure to the fumes, which caused her to experience memory loss, tremors, and severe headaches. She settled with the company in 2011.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• In 2009, Mike Holland, deputy chairman for radiation and environmental issues at the Allied Pilots Association and an American Airlines pilot, said that the pilot union had started alerting pilots of the danger of contaminated bleed air, including contacting crew members that the union thinks were exposed to contamination based on maintenance records and pilot logs.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• In a January 2017 incident on American Airlines Flight 1896, seven flight attendants were hospitalized after a strange odor was detected in the cabin. The Airbus A330 involved subsequently underwent a "thorough maintenance inspection", having been involved in three fume events in three months.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>"American Airlines Jet Has 3rd Fume Incident in 3 Months, 7 Flight Attendants Transported to Hospital and Released", ABC News, January 3, 2017. Template:Webarchive.</ref>
• In August 2018, American Airlines flight attendants picketed in front of the Fort Worth company headquarters over a change in sick day policy, complaining that exposure to ill passengers, toxic uniforms, toxic cabin air, radiation exposure, and other issues were causing them to be sick.<ref>American Airlines flight attendants are gearing up for battle over the company's 'punitive' new attendance policy Template:Webarchive, Business Insider, August 31, 2018</ref><ref>American Airlines flight attendants to picket headquarters Thursday Template:Webarchive, August 29, 2018, Chicago Business Journal</ref>
• In January 2019, two pilots and three flight attendants on Flight 1897 from Philadelphia to Fort Lauderdale were hospitalized following complaints of a strange odor.<ref>American Airlines pilots, flight attendants fall ill on Philadelphia to Florida flight Template:Webarchive, USA Today, January 11, 2019</ref><ref>Five American Airlines staffers hospitalized after noticing 'odor' on plane Template:Webarchive, Fox News, January 10, 2019</ref>

Discrimination complaints

On October 24, 2017, the NAACP issued a travel advisory for American Airlines urging African Americans to "exercise caution" when traveling with the airline. The NAACP issued the advisory after four incidents. In one incident, a black woman was moved from first class to coach while her white traveling companion was allowed to remain in first class. In another incident, a black man was forced to give up his seats after being confronted by two unruly white passengers.<ref name="PBS20171025">The NAACP issues travel advisory for American Airlines, warning black passengers of 'disturbing incidents' Template:Webarchive, PBS, October 25, 2017</ref> According to the NAACP, while they did receive complaints on other airlines, most of their complaints in the year before their advisory were on American Airlines.<ref>NAACP: Most complaints about American Airlines. What can brands learn? Template:Webarchive, USA Today, October 25, 2017</ref> In July 2018, the NAACP lifted their travel advisory saying that American has made improvements to mitigate discrimination and unsafe treatment of African Americans.<ref name="PBS20180717">NAACP lifts travel advisory against American Airlines Template:Webarchive, PBS, July 17, 2018</ref>

Carbon footprint

American Airlines reported total CO2e emissions (direct and indirect) for the twelve months ending December 31, 2020, at 20,092 Kt (-21,347 /-51.5% y-o-y).<ref name ="American Airlines Group Inc. Total CO2e emissions for 2020Q4">Template:Cite web Alt URL Template:Webarchive</ref> The company aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In November 2023, American Airlines purchased the first carbon credit contract (for 10,000 metric tons of Template:CO2 sequestered at $100 per ton) from Graphyte, a carbon removal startup company invested in by Breakthrough Energy that compresses sawdust, tree bark, rice hulls, plant stalks, and other agricultural waste into biomass bricks wrapped in a polymer barrier to prevent decomposition that are stored underground.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

American Airline's annual total CO2e emissions - Location-based scope 1 + scope 2 (in kilotonnes)

Dec 2016	Dec 2017	Dec 2018	Dec 2019	Dec 2020
39,254<ref>Template:Cite web Alt URL Template:Webarchive</ref>	39,388<ref>Template:Cite web Alt URL Template:Webarchive</ref>	40,604<ref>Template:Cite web Alt URL Template:Webarchive</ref>	41,439<ref>Template:Cite web Alt URL Template:Webarchive</ref>	20,092<ref name="American Airlines Group Inc. Total CO2e emissions for 2020Q4"/>

Emissions and Reporting

American Airlines emitted roughly between 40,000,000-45,000,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (MTCDE) annually between 2014-2019.<ref name=":02">Bloomberg L.P. (2024) American Airlines ESG. Retrieved from Bloomberg database.</ref> In 2020, emissions declined to 20,000,000 MTCDE as a result of travel restrictions during the Covid-19 Pandemic,<ref>COVID-19 Related Transportation Statistics | Bureau of Transportation Statistics. (2023, April 18). Retrieved from www.bts.gov website:https://www.bts.gov/covid-19</ref> and have since increased back up to 40,000,000 MTCDE in 2023.<ref name=":02" /> According to Bloomberg terminal data, American Airlines receives an overall Environmental Social Governance (ESG) score of 5.82, which is ranked as a “leading” score compared to competitors in the industry.<ref name=":02" />

Bloomberg calculates ESG scores on a scale of 1 to 10 by compiling publicly available environmental, social, and governance data such as greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, water usage, human rights practices, employee diversity, and board composition.<ref>Bloomberg Professional Services. (2021, December 16). Transparency, methodology, and consistency in ESG scoring. Retrieved from www.bloomberg.com website: https://www.bloomberg.com/professional/insights/sustainable-finance/transparency-methodology-and-consistency-in-esg-scoring/</ref><ref>The University of Texas - San Antonio. (2024). LibGuides: ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) Data Sources: Bloomberg ESG. Retrieved from Utsa.edu website: <nhttps://libguides.utsa.edu/c.php?g=1293624&p=9763131</ref> American Airlines is not in compliance with the Task Force on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) due to the lack of information published by the Airline relating to pollution and waste.<ref name=":03">Bloomberg L.P. (2024) American Airlines ESG. Retrieved from Bloomberg database.</ref> TNFD is a reporting framework that provides guidance for effective environmental reporting.

Climate Change Implications

Climate change is affecting the company’s operations through extreme weather events that interrupt flight patterns. Extreme heat causes air density to decrease which makes it harder for planes to take off, causing the airline to burn more fuel, and therefore affecting both profits and the planet.<ref name=":12">Torrella Lluis, Eduard. “American Airlines: Grounded by Extreme Heat - Technology and Operations Management.” Technology and Operations Management, Harvard University Technology and Operations Management, 16 Nov. 2017, d3.harvard.edu/platform-rctom/submission/american-airlines-grounded-by-extreme-heat/.</ref> High temperatures can also affect the weight limit, reducing the maximum revenue generated by each flight.<ref name=":12" /> A Colombia University study estimates that 30% of the flights departing during the hottest times of the day will not be able to carry their weight capacity by 2050.<ref name=":12" />

See also

• AAirpass
• Air transportation in the United States
• List of airlines of the United States
• List of airports in the United States
• US Airways, which merged with American Airlines in 2015

Notes and references

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Further reading

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External links

• Template:Official website
• Official American Airlines Vacations website