American Airlines

History

Main article: History of American Airlines

American Airlines was started in 1930 as a union of more than eighty small airlines. 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.

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 66 in 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 92 in 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. American Airlines inaugurated passenger service on June 26, 1936, with simultaneous flights from Newark, New Jersey, and Chicago, Illinois.

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.

In December 2023, the company was added to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index.

Network

Destinations

, American Airlines flies (or has flown) to the following destinations. This table does not include destinations served by American's regional subsidiary, American Eagle.

Hubs

American currently operates ten hubs.

• 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 and Northeastern Hub.
• Phoenix–Sky Harbor: American's southwestern hub.
• Washington–National: American's hub for the capital of the United States.

American Eagle

Alliance and codeshare agreements

American Airlines is a member of the Oneworld alliance and have codeshares with the following airlines:

• 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
• LEVEL
• Malaysia Airlines
• Porter Airlines
• Qantas
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Air Maroc
• Royal Jordanian
• 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. The Atlantic Joint Business covers transatlantic flights with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Finnair and Iberia. The Pacific Joint Business encompasses transpacific flights with Japan Airlines. A joint venture with Qantas covers routes between the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

Interline agreements

American Airlines have interline agreements with the following airlines:

• My Freighter Airlines
• Singapore Airlines
• Starlux Airlines

Fleet

Cabins

;Flagship First

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. As with the airline's other premium cabins, Flagship First offers wider food and beverage options, larger seats, and lounge access at certain airports. 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. 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.

;Flagship Business

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. The amenities in Flagship Business include complimentary alcoholic/non-alcoholic beverages, multi-course meals, and lounge access.

;First and Business

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 19 - in width and have 37 - of pitch. 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 500 mi, and meals on flights 900 mi or longer.

;Premium Economy

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 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.

;Main Cabin

Main Cabin (economy class) is American's economy product found on all mainline and regional aircraft in its fleet. Seats range from 17 - in width and have 30 - 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.

;Main Cabin Extra

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. It is available on all of the mainline fleet and American Eagle aircraft.

; 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. Originally Basic Economy passengers could only carry a personal item. Later, American revised their Basic Economy policies to allow for a carry-on bag.

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 2 in, going from the current 31 to. The remainder of the main cabin was to have 30 in 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.

Reward programs

AAdvantage

Main article: AAdvantage

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. 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.

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, by several banks including Butterfield Bank and Scotiabank in the Caribbean, and by Banco Santander in Brazil. 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.

AAdvantage allows one-way redemption, starting at 7,500 miles.

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). 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.

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.

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. 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, the club switched to a paid membership program in 1974.

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.

Corporate affairs

Business trends

The key trends for American Airlines are (as of the financial year ending 31 December):

Ownership and structure

American Airlines, Inc., is publicly traded through its parent company, American Airlines Group Inc., under NASDAQ: AAL , with a market capitalization of about $11 billion as of 2024. In September 2024 was removed from the S&P 500 index and placed into the S&P MidCap 400

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.

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 1700000 sqft, five-building office complex called was designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects. The campus is located on 300 acres, adjacent to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, American's fortress hub.

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. 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. American moved to two leased office buildings in Grand Prairie, Texas. On January 17, 1983, the airline finished moving into a $150 million ($ when adjusted for inflation), 550000 sqft facility in Fort Worth; $147 million (about $ 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. 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.

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. The airline plans to house 5,000 new workers in the building.

It will be located on a 41 acre property adjacent to the airline's flight academy and conference and training center, west of Texas State Highway 360, 2 mi west from the current headquarters. The airline will lease 300 acre from Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, and this area will include the headquarters. Construction of the new headquarters began after the demolition of the Sabre facility, previously on the site.

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.

Corporate identity

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. The initial logo contained large red letters on either side of the eagle, enclosed in a double red and white circle against a blue background. This initial logo laid the foundation for the visual identity of the airline for 80 years.

The logo was modified for the first time in 1946, eliminating the red and white circles and making the eagle more prominent. The corporate name was standardized in a sans-serif font in italic capital letters.

The visual identity was again updated in 1962 with the addition of a lighter red as an accent color and a medium grey replacing the grayish dark blue. The logo was enclosed in a red circle, the eagle designed to be more figurative, and the double A's compacted.

In 1967 with the airline expanding its fleet and competing for new routes, a review of its visual identity was initiated. in 1968, under the direction of Massimo Vignelli (founding partner of Unimark) a new identity program was created. According to Vignelli, the approach was "not styling but reductionist based on the notion of timelessness." A blue stylized bird (created by Henry Dreyfuss) was placed between Unimark's AA symbols, a design which endured until 2013.

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.

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.

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, 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. American requested that the Copyright Office reconsider. Still, on January 8, 2018, the Copyright Office affirmed its initial determination. 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.

Aircraft livery

American's early liveries varied widely, but a standard livery was adopted in the 1930s, featuring an eagle painted on the fuselage. 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.

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.

On January 17, 2013, American unveiled a new livery. 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.

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". 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. 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". 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", and AskThePilot.com author Patrick Smith describing the logo as a linoleum knife poking through a shower curtain'. Later in January 2013, Bloomberg asked the designer of the 1968 American Airlines logo (Massimo Vignelli) on his opinion over the rebranding. Vignelli replied "now they have something other than Helvetica that's not as good or as powerful", adding that "it has no sense of permanence".

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. 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. As of September 2019, American has heritage aircraft for Piedmont, PSA, America West, US Airways, Reno Air, TWA, Allegheny, and AirCal in their fleet. They also have two AA branded heritage 737-800 aircraft, an AstroJet N905NN, and the polished aluminum livery used from 1967 to 2013, N921NN.

Leadership

Current Chairman Greg Smith (since February 2023)

Current Chief Executive Officer Robert Isom (since March 2022)

Previous Chief Executive Officers

• C. R. Smith (1934–1968 and 1973–1974)
• George A. Spater (1968–1973)
• Albert V. Casey (1974–1985)
• Robert Crandall (1985–1998)
• Donald J. Carty (1998–2003)
• Gerard Arpey (2003–2011)
• Thomas W. Horton (2011–2013)
• Doug Parker (2013–2022)

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.

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). However the majority of American Eagle pilots are ALPA members.
• The Association of Professional Flight Attendants represents American Airlines flight attendants, including former USAirways flight attendants.
• 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.
• 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.
• American's customer service and gate employees belong to the Communications Workers of America/International Brotherhood of Teamsters Passenger Service Association.
• 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.

Subsidiary companies

Sky Chefs

In 1942, American Airlines established Sky Chefs, a wholly owned subsidiary, as a catering company to serve their fleet. In 1986, Sky Chefs was sold to Toronto-based Onex Capital Corporation for $170 million. Since 2001, it has been fully owned by the LSG Group.

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. In 1980, American Airlines sold Americana Hotels to Bass Brothers Enterprises of Fort Worth, Texas.

Controversies 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.

Lifetime AAirpass

Main article: AAirpass

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. This entitled the pass holder to fly anywhere in the world without paying any subseuqent fare. 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".

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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. 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. In July 2018, the NAACP lifted their travel advisory saying that American has made improvements to mitigate discrimination and unsafe treatment of African Americans.

Industrial action

In 1999, American Airlines sued Allied Pilot's Association for $45.5 million over damages due to strike action, one of the largest fines ever levied against a trade union.

In January 2020, the Allied Pilot's Association filed a lawsuit to stop flights between the United States and China over concerns about COVID-19. The Association of Professional Flight Attendents supported the court action. At the time, COVID-19 was mostly contained to China and had not reached pandemic status yet. Because of this action, American Airlines suspended their flights the following day.

Accidents and incidents

Environmental impacts & initiatives

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). The company aims to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. In November 2023, American Airlines purchased the first carbon credit contract (for 10,000 metric tons of 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.

American Airlines emitted roughly between 40,000,000-45,000,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents (MTCDE) annually between 2014-2019. In 2020, emissions declined to 20,000,000 MTCDE as a result of travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and have since increased back up to 40,000,000 MTCDE in 2023. 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.

References

1. "American Airlines".
2. (October 15, 2015). "7340.2F with Change 1 and Change 2 and Change 3". [[Federal Aviation Administration]].
3. (2015). "History of American Airlines". American Airlines Group.
4. (May 12, 2015). "Airline Certificate Information – Detail View". [[Federal Aviation Administration]].
5. "American Airlines".
6. "Corporate structure". American Airlines.
7. (19 February 2025). "2024 AAL Annual Report (10K)".
8. (12 May 2024). "The World's Largest Global Airlines in April 2024".
9. "American Airlines Group − About us − American Airlines".
10. (September 12, 2012). "American Air signs deal to contract out some flying to SkyWest". Yahoo! News.
11. (November 29, 2011). "American Airlines parent seeks Ch. 11 protection". [[The Seattle Times]].
12. "TWA to be bought by American - Jan. 10, 2001".
13. Pearcy, Arthur. ''Douglas DC-3 Survivors, Volume 1''. Bourne End, Bucks, UK: Aston Publications, 1987. {{ISBN. 0-946627-13-4, p. 17
14. Holden, Henry. [http://www.dc3history.org/douglasdc3.html "DC-3 History"] {{Webarchive. link. (September 27, 2010. dc3history.org. Retrieved October 7, 2010.)
15. Waddington 2000, pp. 6–18.
16. Endres 1998, p. 16.
17. link. (November 4, 2021 ''[[St. Petersburg Times]]'', September 14, 2011.)
18. Endres 1998, pp. 25–26.
19. Endres 1998, p. 28.
20. Endres 1998, p. 52.
21. "American Airlines – American company".
22. "American Airlines Named to Dow Jones Sustainability World Index – Company Announcement - FT.com".
23. (2019-12-06). "American Airlines Cuts Cordoba, Argentina Route".
24. (February 1, 2024). "Bound for Brisbane: American Airlines to fly Down Under next winter".
25. (20 November 2018). "American Airlines Introduces A Flight Worse Than All its Others". View from the Wing.
26. (June 10, 2015). "American American Airlines to operate SYD-LAX, Qantas returning to SFO".
27. Liu, Jim. (September 11, 2016). "American adds new International routes in S17". UBM (UK) Ltd..
28. Yeo, Ghim-Lay. (February 26, 2018). "American Airlines will drop La Paz in Bolivia from its network beginning 4 July, in response to insufficient market demand.". DVV Media International Limited.
29. Curley, Robert. (July 30, 2019). "American Airlines ends flights to Bolivia". Panacea Media Limited.
30. Liu, Jim. (December 17, 2017). "American adds Miami – Bonaire service from June 2018". UBM (UK) Ltd..
31. (October 14, 2015). "American Airlines Miami – Brazil Service Changes from Feb 2016". Informa Markets.
32. (July 28, 2021). "American Airlines stops flying between Miami and Manaus indefinitely".
33. (March 1, 2016). "American Airlines Ends Porto Alegre Service in early-March 2016". UBM (UK) Ltd..
34. (March 30, 2016). "American Air cancels Miami to Salvador and Recife routes". TripAdvisor.
35. (October 9, 2020). "American to Shift to New Beijing Airport".
36. (July 1, 2020). "American Airlines Resets International Network for Remainder of 2020 Through Summer 2021".
37. Liu, Jim. (June 15, 2016). "American Airlines Details Planned Cuba Schedule from Sep 2016".
38. Díaz, Pablo. (May 16, 2022). "Biden administration resumes flights to Cuban cities besides Havana".
39. (August 18, 2015). "American Airlines to fly from LAX to Cuba". dailynews.com.
40. Liu, Jim. "American plans late-Nov 2016 Havana launch". UBM (UK) Ltd..
41. Gámez Torres, Nora. (25 October 2019). "The Trump administration will end commercial flights to nine destinations in Cuba".
42. (8 October 2018). "American schedules additional international routes in S19". UBM (UK) Ltd..
43. Josephs, Leslie. (2025-08-07). "American adds Budapest, Prague and Buenos Aires flights for summer 2026". [[CNBC]].
44. (17 August 2023). "American Airlines launching new transatlantic routes". One Mile At A Time.
45. "American Airlines is not long for the S&P 500".
46. (31 May 2018). "American Airlines Planning Guyana Launch in November". Caribbean Journal.
47. Schaaf, Bryan. "American Airlines to offer daily direct flights to Cap-Haitian". Haiti Innovation.
48. (2020-07-01). "American Airlines reduces service to Haiti, cancels Miami-Cap-Haïtien route".
49. (November 23, 2013). "American Airlines Begins Nonstop Service Between Dallas/Ft. Worth and Roatan, Honduras; Increases Service Between Miami and Roatan".
50. "American Airlines Announces Summer Schedule Changes to Match Reduced Customer Demand Related to COVID-19".
51. (9 December 2021). "American Airlines plans to reduce international flights next summer". Reuters.
52. "American Airlines plans A321neo Philadelphia – Reykjavik service from June 2021".
53. (December 20, 2020). "American Slashes Philadelphia Transatlantic Routes".
54. (2021-08-29). "American Airlines' New York To Delhi Route: Upgraded To 777-300ER".
55. "American Airlines Uses Partnerships to Grow Its Network, Offer Customers More Choice, and Provide a Premier Travel Experience in the Northeast".
56. "American Airlines Adjusts International Winter Schedule". PR Newswire Association LLC.
57. (November 4, 2024). "American Airlines won't fly to Israel again until at least September 2025".
58. Liu, Jim. (August 11, 2019). "American Airlines S20 Long-Haul changes as of 11AUG19".
59. Skertic, Mark. (October 1, 2005). "American Airlines to end flights to Nagoya, Japan". Chicago Tribune.
60. (November 4, 2015). "American Airlines To Launch Service Between Los Angeles And Tokyo Haneda In February 2016".
61. "AAMIAhub".
62. (9 December 2021). "Connecting Customers to the Middle East and Beyond, American Airlines Announces Service to Doha, Qatar".
63. (June 13, 2008). "American Airlines To Begin Service From Chicago To Moscow". КОНТИНЕНТ 4U.
64. Major, Brian. (June 5, 2019). "American Airlines Expands St. Vincent Service". Northstar Travel Media, LLC.
65. (May 9, 2013). "American Airlines Launches New Daily Nonstop Service from DFW Airport to Seoul, South Korea". DFW International Airport.
66. (September 7, 2021). "American Airlines starts flying five times a week from Miami to Suriname".
67. (December 7, 2022). "American Airlines drops Suriname again as destination -".
68. "American S19 Long-haul changes as of 04JAN19".
69. Cordova, Gilbert. (August 29, 2019). "American Airlines adding three new routes to Alaska, including first-time flights to Fairbanks".
70. (June 2, 2020). "American Airlines ends Oakland service".
71. "American Airlines NS20 International Long-Haul changes as of 10MAR20".
72. (March 15, 2019). "American Airlines Stops Flights To Venezuela". CBS Broadcasting Inc..
73. Dolven, Taylor. (March 15, 2019). "American Airlines stops flying to Venezuela".
74. "Newsroom – Multimedia – Fact Sheets". American Airlines Group.
75. "Partner airlines".
76. "Partner Airlines - AAdvantage Program".
77. "American Airlines and Porter Airlines celebrate new partnership enhancing North American travel".
78. "About us, American Airlines Group, Business Agreements, Joint Business Agreement".
79. (November 5, 2023). "Aer Lingus and American Airlines expand codeshare agreement".
80. (December 23, 2020). "DOT approves Aer Lingus addition to Oneworld transatlantic joint venture".
81. "Japan Airlines and American Airlines Joint Service".
82. (July 19, 2019). "American Airlines and Qantas Receive Final Approval to Form Joint Business". American Airlines.
83. Shepardson, David. (July 20, 2019). "American Airlines-Qantas joint venture wins final U.S. approval".
84. (16 August 2024). "My Freighter starts interline partnership with American Airlines". Air Cargo News.
85. Schlappig, Ben. (August 15, 2025). "American & Starlux Launch Interline Agreement... Partnership To Come?".
86. Schlappig, Ben. (December 29, 2014). "AA International First Class Review".
87. Martin, Hugo. (January 12, 2018). "American Airlines' new lounge for elite fliers at LAX includes a Bloody Mary bar".
88. "SeatGuru Seat Map American Airlines".
89. (September 21, 2022). "American Airlines Introduces New Flagship Suite® Seats".
90. "American Airlines Planes, Fleet and Seat Maps".
91. "Premium dining − Travel information − American Airlines".
92. Dwyer-Lindgren, Jeremy. "Now flying on American: Real international-style premium economy seats".
93. Schlappig, Ben. (March 7, 2020). "Review: American Airlines Main Cabin Extra 737".
94. Martín, Hugo. (February 25, 2017). "United and American Airlines to board basic economy passengers last".
95. Zumbach, Lauren. (July 26, 2018). "American Airlines will let basic economy passengers travel with carry-on bags".
96. Ostrower, Jon. (May 3, 2017). "American Airlines is cutting more legroom in economy class". Cable News Network.
97. (December 24, 2019). "American Airlines President: Squeezing More Seats into Boeing 737s is "A Real Success"".
98. "AAdvantage Celebrates 40 Years of Loyalty Innovation".
99. link. (December 20, 2008. Aa.com (October 1, 2010). Retrieved on November 4, 2010.)
100. "AAdvantage credit cards − AAdvantage program − American Airlines".
101. "Butterfield / AAdvantage MasterCard - Benefits - American Airlines".
102. "Scotiabank / AAdvantage cards - Benefits - American Airlines".
103. "Cartões de crédito AAdvantage no Brasil – Programa AAdvantage – American Airlines".
104. (2024-12-06). "American Airlines Is Dropping Barclays from its Credit Card Program".
105. "American Airlines AAdvantage Points".
106. Li, Lucy. "Ultimate Guide to Admirals Club". LoungeBuddy, Inc.
107. Turell, Claire. (March 18, 2019). "The Admirals Club guide".
108. Airlines, American. (March 22, 2024). "Admirals Club History".
109. (July 15, 1966). "Toward Equality for VIPs".
110. (March 17, 1974). "Thanks to One Stubborn Man, Everyone Can Be an Airport V.I.P.". The New York Times.
111. American Airlines, Inc., 64 [[Civil Aeronautics Board. link. (December 12, 2021 (1974).)
112. Satchell, Arlene. (November 16, 2017). "American's Flagship Lounge at MIA opens Tuesday for first-class, business travelers".
113. "American Airlines - Corporate News".
114. "American Airlines Group Reports 2015 Full Year Profit".
115. "American Airlines Group Reports 2016 Full Year Profit".
116. "American Airlines Reports Full-Year 2017 Financial Results".
117. "American Airlines Reports Full-Year 2018 Financial Results".
118. "American Airlines Reports Full-Year 2019 Financial Results".
119. "American Airlines Reports Full-Year 2020 Financial Results".
120. "American Airlines Reports Full-Year 2021 Financial Results".
121. "American Airlines Reports Full-Year 2022 Financial Results".
122. (January 25, 2024). "American Airlines reports fourth-quarter and full-year 2023 financial results".
123. (January 25, 2025). "American Airlines reports fourth-quarter and full-year 2023 financial results".
124. "More for 2024: American Airlines adds new routes and destinations to see the world next summer".
125. "American Airlines Robert L. Crandall Campus".
126. Arnold, Kyle. (September 23, 2019). "American Airlines unveils new $350 million headquarters in Fort Worth".
127. ''World Airline Directory''. [[Flight International]]. March 20, 1975. [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1975/1975%20-%200536.html "472"]. {{Webarchive. link. (December 3, 2010.)
128. [http://gonyc.about.com/od/manhattan/l/bl_gramercy.htm "Flatiron / Gramercy / Murray Hill / Union Square: Manhattan Neighborhood Map"]. {{Webarchive. link. (November 23, 2010 ''[[About.com]]''. Retrieved January 25, 2009.)
129. Sterba, James P. [https://www.nytimes.com/1978/11/16/archives/american-will-shift-headquarters-from-manhattan-to-dallas-airport.html "American Will Shift Headquarters From Manhattan to Dallas Airport; Big Economies Predicted"]. {{Webarchive. link. (April 30, 2018 ''The New York Times''. Thursday November 16, 1978. Page A1. Retrieved August 27, 2009.)
130. link. (September 7, 2014 [[Associated Press]] at ''[[Ocala Star-Banner]]''. January 16, 1983. 6A. ''[[Google News]]'' 4 of 62. Retrieved August 27, 2009.)
131. Hethcock, Bill. (October 22, 2015). "American Airlines will build new headquarters in Fort Worth". bizjournals.com.
132. (October 22, 2015). "American to build new headquarters in Fort Worth". [[WFAA]].
133. "Tales From an Era When Airlines Knew Good Design".
134. Hühne, Matthias C.. (2016). "Airline Visual Identity 1945-1975". Callisto Publishers.
135. "Vignelli Associates About the AA Logo".
136. James, Nancy. (2023-12-26). "American Airlines Vs Delta: Seating, Dining, Loyalty Programs And More".
137. "Current Airline Members".
138. Wilson, Mark. (January 22, 2013). "American Airlines Rebrands Itself, And America Along With It".
139. Zaller Rowland, Catherine. (January 8, 2018). "Re: Second Request for Reconsideration for Refusal to Register American Airlines Flight Symbol; Correspondence ID: 1-28H4ZFK; SR#: 1-3537494381". [[United States Copyright Office]].
140. (January 25, 2018). "US Copyright Office Says What We're All Thinking: American Airlines Lacks Creativity – One Mile at a Time".
141. (December 7, 2018). "Re: Registration Decision Regarding American Airlines Flight Symbol; Correspondence ID 1-28H4ZFK; SR 1-3537494381". [[United States Copyright Office]].
142. (January 17, 2013). "American Airlines Unveils New Logo and Livery".
143. "Boeing 707 Jet Airliner Non-Stop Service between New York City and Los Angeles", ''Boeing Magazine'' 30 (1958), 66.
144. (January 17, 2013). "Why Is American Airlines Changing Its Stripes?".
145. (January 17, 2013). "American Airlines unveils new logo, livery". [[Chicago Tribune]].
146. (October 8, 2008). "Delta, Air Canada Among Carriers Weighing Benefit of Paint Stripping".
147. "Becoming a new American".
148. (January 13, 2013). "American Airlines Debuts New, Modern Look".
149. King, Eric. (March 28, 2013) [http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/business/American-Airlines-New-Livery-Soon-Could-Become-Its-Old-Look-200532901.html American Airline's New Livery Soon Could Become Its Old Look. NBC 5 Dallas–Fort Worth] {{Webarchive. link. (March 30, 2013. Nbcdfw.com. Retrieved on July 18, 2013.)
150. Johnson, Joshua. (January 23, 2013). "Check Out the New American Airlines Logo".
151. Smith, Patrick. (January 6, 2014). "The New American Airlines Livery".
152. Mayo, Keenan. (January 19, 2013). "Q&A: Original American Airlines Designer Massimo Vignelli on the Redesigned Logo". Bloomberg L.P..
153. Maxon, Terry. (December 16, 2013). "Doug Parker to let American Airlines employees decide whether to keep the new AA tail".
154. Heinz, Frank. (January 2, 2014). "American Airlines Employees Vote to Keep New Livery".
155. Yerman, Jordan. (December 3, 2015). "[PHOTOS] Heritage Livery Flies Again in American Airlines' Retro Rollout".
156. "Flying Through Time: American Airlines' Special Liveries Keep Aviation History Alive {{!}} Jetsetter Guide".
157. Ewing, Ryan. (June 5, 2017). "Photos: American Rolls out New AstroJet-Themed Boeing 737-800".
158. Ewing, Ryan. (December 14, 2017). "American Quietly Adds Polished Aluminum Retro Livery to a Boeing 737-800".
159. https://news.aa.com/news/news-details/2023/Greg-Smith-Appointed-Independent-Chairman-of-American-Airlines-Group-Board-of-Directors-CORP-EXEC-02/default.aspx#:~:text=Greg%20Smith%20Appointed%20Independent%20Chairman,%2C%202023%2C%203:30%20p.m.
160. (December 7, 2021). "AMERICAN AIRLINES ANNOUNCES LEADERSHIP SUCCESSION PLAN". American Airlines Group.
161. "Biography of C.R. Smith".
162. (15 Jun 1984). "GEORGE A. SPATER DIES AT 75; AUTHOR AND AIRLINE EXECUTIVE". The New York Times.
163. Oliver, Myrna. (July 13, 2004). "Albert Casey, 84; Former Airline Chief".
164. "DePaul University College of Law". Law.depaul.edu.
165. "The Oklahoma Daily, December 29, 2009".
166. "A year into its merger with US Airways, American Airlines is flying high A year into its merger with US Airways, American Airlines is flying high".
167. (January 18, 2023). "The Best and Worst Airlines of 2022".
168. "Airlines Pilot Association".
169. "Envoy Air – ALPA".
170. (December 18, 2014). "American Airlines flight attendants to get bigger pay raises after all".
171. Josephs, Leslie. (November 1, 2019). "Largest US flight attendant union targets Delta cabin crews".
172. "American CEO says contract proposals to ground workers to have "double-digit" pay increases".
173. (November 30, 2015). "American Airlines customer service and gate agents approve new labor contract".
174. "PAFCA – AAL – PAFCA American Airlines, AAL PAFCA".
175. "Chef Solutions, Inc.".
176. (January 15, 1986). "Sky Chefs' Sale". The New York Times.
177. (2004). "Flight Catering". Elsevier.
178. (March 30, 2001). "Lufthansa to Acquire a Stake in Sky Chefs Catering". The New York Times.
179. (June 14, 2001). "Lufthansa takes over Sky Chefs". The Caterer.
180. Bedingfield, Robert E.. (July 21, 1972). "American Airlines in Loews Hotel Pact". The New York Times.
181. (January 18, 1985). "Chairman of Americana Hotels Steps Down".
182. (July 19, 1999). "American Airlines Will Make Clean Air Improvements at Logan Airport Reports to EPA the Use of Illegal High Sulfur Fuel in Motor Vehicles".
183. (April 7, 2018). "The men who took 10,000 flights".
184. Rothstein, Caroline. (July 22, 2019). "The Man with the Golden Airline Ticket".
185. (May 13, 2012). "'Free'quent flier has wings clipped after American Airlines takes away his unlimited pass". New York Post.
186. (1996). "Cockpit-cabin communication: II. Shall we tell the pilots?". [[The International Journal of Aviation Psychology]].
187. Cross, Jamie. (2012). "Sources of friction". AeroSafety World.
188. (October 6, 2011). "Boeing suit settlement stirs jetliner air safety debate".
189. Nassauer, Sarah. (July 30, 2009). "Up in the Air: New Worries About 'Fume Events' on Planes". [[The Wall Street Journal]].
190. (January 4, 2017). "'Fume event' hospitalises American Airlines crew in latest incident concerning cabin air".
191. link. (February 7, 2019.)
192. [https://www.businessinsider.com/american-airlines-flight-attendants-protest-sick-policy-toxic-uniform-2018-8 American Airlines flight attendants are gearing up for battle over the company's 'punitive' new attendance policy] {{Webarchive. link. (February 7, 2019, ''Business Insider'', August 31, 2018)
193. [https://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2018/08/29/american-airlines-flight-attendants-to-picket.html American Airlines flight attendants to picket headquarters Thursday] {{Webarchive. link. (August 6, 2020, August 29, 2018, ''Chicago Business Journal'')
194. [https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2019/01/10/american-airlines-crew-sickened-philadelphia-florida-flight/2537776002/ American Airlines pilots, flight attendants fall ill on Philadelphia to Florida flight] {{Webarchive. link. (January 25, 2019, ''USA Today'', January 11, 2019)
195. [https://www.foxnews.com/travel/american-airlines-staffers-florida-airport-odor Five American Airlines staffers hospitalized after noticing 'odor' on plane] {{Webarchive. link. (January 25, 2019, Fox News, January 10, 2019)
196. (October 25, 2017). "The NAACP issues travel advisory for American Airlines, warning black passengers of 'disturbing incidents'". PBS.
197. [https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/10/25/naacp-most-complaints-american-airlines-what-can-brands-learn/800300001/ NAACP: Most complaints about American Airlines. What can brands learn?] {{Webarchive. link. (January 25, 2019, ''USA Today'', October 25, 2017)
198. [https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/naacp-lifts-travel-advisory-against-american-airlines NAACP lifts travel advisory against American Airlines] {{Webarchive. link. (January 25, 2019, PBS, July 17, 2018)
199. (1999-04-16). "Pilots Union Fined $45 Million". The Washington Post.
200. "Allied Pilots Association".
201. Tate, Curtis. "Delta, American, United to suspend all China mainland flights as coronavirus crisis grows".
202. (November 13, 2021). "American Airlines Group Inc.'s ESG Datasheet for 2020Q4".
203. "Net zero carbon emissions by 2050". American Airlines.
204. (November 28, 2023). "The Newest Airline Climate Solution? Burying Sawdust". News Corp.
205. (November 28, 2023). "Graphyte signs first carbon removal purchase agreement with American Airlines 10,000 tons of carbon dioxide removal will be delivered using new Carbon Casting technology". [[PR Newswire]].
206. Bloomberg L.P. (2024) American Airlines ESG. Retrieved from Bloomberg database.
207. COVID-19 Related Transportation Statistics. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. (2023, April 18). Retrieved from www.bts.gov website:https://www.bts.gov/covid-19