American Airlines

Lore & Background

The earliest predecessor company of American Airlines to commence operations was Robertson Aircraft Corporation, which began mail flights on April 15, 1926. American Airlines was established in 1930 through the union of more than eighty small airlines. The two primary 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 Airlines played a direct role in developing the Douglas DC-3, which grew out of a marathon telephone call from American Airlines CEO C. R. Smith to Douglas Aircraft Company founder Donald Wills Douglas Sr. The prototype Douglas Sleeper Transport (DST) first flew on December 17, 1935. American Airlines inaugurated its passenger service on June 26, 1936, with simultaneous flights departing from Newark, New Jersey, and Chicago, Illinois. American also was a key customer for the DC-10, which resulted from a specification from the airline to manufacturers in 1966, though it is not widely credited with a direct development role comparable to its role with the DC-3. 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. The DC-10 entered commercial service with American Airlines on August 5, 1971. 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. In December 2023, the company was added to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, and was included for a second consecutive year in December 2024.

In Their Own Story

The concourse lights dimmed to a low amber as the pre-game music hit. Somewhere in the lower bowl, a kid in a Modano 26 jersey pressed his face against the glass, watching the Zamboni carve fresh lines into the ice. The smell was unmistakable—cold rubber, warm pretzel salt, the faint metallic tang of the boards. A group of guys in cowboy hats and Stars jerseys clinked their plastic cups together near the center-ice bar, arguing about whether the new era lived up to the '99 run. The arena hummed. Above them, the jumbotron flickered to life, and the crowd's collective inhale was audible even from the upper deck. Then the horn sounded, the ice cracked under the first slap shot, and American Airlines Center became, for sixty minutes, the loudest room in Texas.

Reader's Guide

As of May 2024 American operates ten hubs: Charlotte, Chicago–O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York–JFK, New York–LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Phoenix–Sky Harbor, and Washington–National. American Airlines is a member of Oneworld alliance. American Airlines has established three joint ventures: the Atlantic Joint Business with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Finnair and Iberia; the Pacific Joint Business with Japan Airlines; and a joint venture with Qantas covering routes between the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. American Airlines also partners with The Landline Company to provide coach bus connections to and from two hubs: O'Hare to Rockford and South Bend; and Philadelphia to Allentown/Bethlehem, Atlantic City, Trenton–Mercer, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, and Wilmington. Cabins include Flagship First, Flagship Business, First and Business, and Premium Economy.

Did You Know?

• American Airlines is one of the largest airlines in the world by passengers carried and daily flights, though it is not consistently the largest.
• The airline's largest hub is Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).
• American Airlines played a direct role in developing the Douglas DC-3 and was a key customer for the DC-10.
• The airline merged with US Airways in 2013, creating the largest