American Airlines
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| American Airlines | ||
|---|---|---|
| IATA AA | ICAO AAL |
Callsign American |
| Founded | 1930 (as American Airways) | <tr><th colspan="2">Hubs</th><td>Dallas-Fort Worth Int'l Airport|
| Fleet size | 685 (+54) | |
| Destinations | 157 | |
| Headquarters | Fort Worth, Texas | |
| Key people | Gerard Arpey (CEO) James Beer (CFO) | |
| Website: http://www.aa.com/ | ||
American Airlines (AA) is the largest airline in the world in terms of total passengers transported[citation needed] and fleet size[citation needed], and the second-largest airline in the world (behind Air France-KLM) in terms of total operating revenues[citation needed]. A wholly owned subsidiary of the AMR Corporation, the airline is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, adjacent to the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. American operates scheduled flights throughout the United States, as well as flights to Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Western Europe, Japan, mainland China, and India. The Chairman, President, and CEO of AA is Gerard Arpey. In 2005, the airline netted over US$ 98 million in revenue passenger miles (RPMs).
As of October 2006, American serves 157 cities with a fleet of 736 aircraft. American carries more passengers between the US and Latin America (12.1 million in 2004) than any other airline, and is also strong in the transcontinental market.
American has five hubs: Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Miami (MIA), San Juan (SJU), Chicago (ORD), and Saint Louis (STL). Dallas/Fort Worth is the airline's largest hub, with AA operating over 84 percent of flights at the airport and traveling to more destinations than from any of its other hubs. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and New York City (JFK) serve as a focus cities and international gateways. American operates maintenance bases at Tulsa (TUL), Kansas City (MCI), and Fort Worth Alliance (AFW).
American Eagle Airlines is a Fort Worth, Texas-based regional airline partner of American Airlines, wholly owned by AMR Corporation.
American Airlines is a founding member of the Oneworld airline alliance.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Formation
American Airlines developed from a conglomeration of about 82 small airlines through a series of corporate acquisitions and reorganizations: initially, the name American Airways was used as a common brand by a number of independent air carriers. These included Southern Air Transport in Texas, Southern Air Fast Express (SAFE) in the western US, Universal Aviation in the Midwest (which operated a transcontinental air/rail route in 1929), and Colonial Air Transport in the Northeast.
On January 25, 1930, American Airways was incorporated as a single company, with routes from Boston, New York and Chicago, Illinois to Dallas, and a transcontinental route from Dallas to Los Angeles. The airline operated its routes with wood and fabric covered Fokker Trimotors and all metal Ford Trimotors. In 1934 American began flying Curtiss Condor biplanes fitted with sleeping berths.
[edit] American Airlines before World War II
In 1934, American Airways Company, in financial straits, was acquired by E.L. Cord, who renamed the company "American Airlines". Cord hired Texas businessman C.R. (Cyrus Rowlett) Smith to run the company. Early in its history, the company was headquartered at Midway Airport in Chicago, Illinois.
Smith worked closely with Donald Douglas to develop the DC-3, which American Airlines started flying in 1936. With the DC-3, American began to brand itself using nautical terms, calling its aircraft "Flagships" and establishing the "Admirals Club," an honorary club for valued passengers. The DC-3s had a four-star "admiral's pennant" which would fly outside the cockpit window while the aircraft was parked, one of the most well-known images of the airline at the time.
American was the first airline to cooperate with Fiorello LaGuardia's plans to build an airport in New York City, and partly as a result became the owner of the world's first airline lounge at the new LaGuardia Airport (LGA), which became known as the "Admirals Club." Membership was initially by invitation only, but a discrimination suit decades later changed the club into a paid membership club, creating the model for other airline lounges.
[edit] Postwar developments
After World War II, American launched an international subsidiary, American Overseas Airlines to serve Europe; however, AOA was sold to rival Pan Am in 1950. AA launched another subsidiary around the same time, American Airlines de Mexico S.A., to operate flights to Mexico, and built several airports there. American Airlines introduced the first transcontinental jet service on 25 January 1959. With the introduction of 707 "Astrojet" service in the 1960s, American's focus shifted to nonstop coast-to-coast flights, although it maintained feeder connections to other cities along its old route using smaller Convair 990s and Lockheed Electras. The company also launched the first electronic booking system, named Sabre, together with IBM.
[edit] Expansion in 1980s and 1990s
American changed its routing to a hub-and-spoke system starting in 1981, opening its first hubs at DFW and Chicago O'Hare. American began flights to Europe and Japan from these hubs in the mid-1980s.
In the late 1980s, American opened three new hubs for north-south traffic. San Jose International Airport was added as a hub after American purchased Air California. American also built a new terminal and runway at Raleigh-Durham International Airport to take advantage of the rapidly-growing Research Triangle Park nearby, as well as compete with USAir's hub in Charlotte. Nashville was also chosen as a hub.
Lower fuel prices in the era and a favorable management climate at the time led to higher than average airline industry profits that were not necessarily shared by non-stockholding employees. The industry's expansion was not lost on the American Airline's existing employees who on February 17, 1997 struck for higher wages. President Bill Clinton invoked the Taft-Hartley Amendment to the Wagner Act citing economic impact to the United States a few minutes later quashing the strike.<ref>http://www.iht.com/articles/1997/02/17/fly.t_1.php.</ref> Pilots settled for substantially lower wage increases than their demands as a result.
The three new hubs were all abandoned in the 1990s: San Jose was sold to Reno Air, and RDU to Midway Airlines. Midway went out of business in 2001. American purchased Reno Air in February 1999 and fully integrated its operations on 31 August 1999, but did not resume hub operations in San Jose.
Miami also became a hub after American bought Central and South American routes from Eastern Air Lines in 1990. Through the 1990s, American expanded its route network in Latin America to become the dominant U.S. carrier in the region.
On 15 October 1998 American Airlines became the first airline to offer electronic ticketing in all 44 countries it serves.
[edit] TWA merger, 9/11, and aftermath
Image:American.b777-200er.n780an.arp.jpg Crandall left the company in 1998 and was replaced by Donald J. Carty, who negotiated the purchase of Trans World Airlines and its hub in St. Louis in April 2001.
The merger of seniority lists was a contentious issue, particularly for pilots who were represented by different unions at the two airlines. In the final merger, 60 percent of all former TWA pilots were moved to the bottom of the seniority list at AA: the most senior TWA captain, hired in 1963, was integrated at the same seniority level as an AA captain hired in 1985.[citation needed] However, the TWA pilots were given "super-seniority" and a specified ratio of positions as captain if they stayed in St. Louis. The result was that most former TWA pilots stayed in St. Louis and roughly maintained their same relative seniority. A few left St. Louis and flew in the co-pilot seat next to AA pilots with significantly less seniority. In addition, all former TWA flight attendants (approximately 4,200 employees) were furloughed by mid-2003 due to the flight attendants' union putting former TWA flight attendants at the bottom of their seniority list.
In the wake of the TWA merger and the roughly concurrent September 11, 2001 attacks (which claimed two of AA's aircraft), American began losing money. Carty negotiated new wage and benefit agreements with the airline's labor unions, but was forced to resign after union leaders discovered that Carty was planning to award handsome executive compensation packages at the same time. St. Louis' hub was also downsized afterwards.
In Carty's wake, American has undergone additional cost-cutting measures, including rolling back its "More Room in Coach" program (which eliminated several seats on certain aircraft types), ending three-class service on many international flights, and standardizing its fleet at each hub (see below). However, the airline has rebounded and expanded its service into new markets, including Ireland, India and mainland China.
On July 20, 2005, for the first time in 17 quarters, American announced a quarterly profit; the airline earned $58 million in Q2 2005. American is reliant upon its dominant position at Dallas/Fort Worth for its continuing financial solvency. It had previously lobbied for the preservation of the Wright Amendment, which regulates Southwest Airlines' operations at Love Field in Dallas. On June 15, 2006, American reached an agreement with Southwest Airlines and the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth to seek repeal of the Wright Amendment on the conditions that Love Field remain a domestic airport and that its gate capacity be limited.<ref>Ben Mutzabaugh. Today in the Air. USAToday.com. Retrieved on 2006-06-20.</ref>
[edit] Destinations
- Further information: American Airlines destinations
American Airlines serves destinations on four continents. Its network is particularly developed in Latin America, where it serves more destinations than any other U.S. airline. It is the only U.S. airline with scheduled flights to Anguilla, Bolivia, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
In recent years, American has begun to expand its network in Asia. In 2005, American re-introduced a non-stop flight from Dallas/Fort Worth to Osaka, which had been discontinued after the September 11 terrorist attacks, and began service from Chicago to Delhi.<ref>http://www.aa.com/content/amrcorp/pressReleases/2005_07/12_delhi.jhtml.</ref> In April 2006, American began service from Chicago to Shanghai. Service from Dallas/Fort Worth to Osaka was discontinued in October 2006.
American has recently applied to fly between Dallas/Fort Worth to Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China and between Miami and the Venezuelan city of Valencia. Both routes are currently pending government approval to begin on 25 March 2007 and 10 April 2007, respectively.
[edit] Fleet
Image:IMG americanairlines.jpg As of April, 2006, American's fleet has an average age of 13.3 years.<ref>http://www.airsafe.com/events/airlines/fleetage.htm.</ref> Almost half of its fleet is comprised of McDonnell Douglas MD-82 and MD-83 series twinjets, referred to by AA as "Super 80," denoting the type's original name, "DC-9 Super 80." Much of the Super 80 fleet dates back to the early 1980s, although some were later acquired from TWA.
Most of AA's aircraft have been refitted with new interiors in the last few years, with the exception of many Boeing 757s. The 757 seats have been re-covered, with new carpet, and deeper overhead bins. AA has also introduced new aircraft to its fleet: the newest are the Boeing 777-200ERs, which replaced MD-11s on key transoceanic routes in the late 1990s such as Tokyo Narita, and 737-800s, which replaced 727s on many domestic and Caribbean routes.
American has discontinued three-class service on most aircraft, but continues to offer business class on 777 and 767-200 aircraft. First class passengers on 777 routes to London and Frankfurt enjoy the "American Flagship Suite," a first class seat that can swivel inwards toward a personal work area and also recline 90 degrees to become a bed. 767-200 flights between JFK, SFO, and LAX offer three-class "American Flagship Service" which replicates the passenger service offered on long international flights. The business class cabins of American's 767-300 aircraft are in the process of being refitted with electronic "lie-flat" seats. When the installation is complete, the seats will also be introduced on American's 777s.
Image:IMG 1265r.jpg On all American aircraft except the 757s formerly operated by TWA, passengers in all cabins have a cigarette port DC power ports in the first and/or business class cabins, and at select seats in coach. All classes of service on the 777 have personal video screens, although they lack Audio/Video On Demand (AVOD) systems. These personal video screens have the AAmazing "GateConnect" feature which allows passengers to view terminal maps and connecting flight information for their destination airport.
American has redesigned its schedules so that each hub city receives certain aircraft types more often than others, which is intended to simplify maintenance and last-minute fleet substitutions. Chicago, DFW and St. Louis get most MD-80, 757-2Q8, and 757-231 service, Miami gets most 757-223 and 737 service, and JFK gets most A300 and 767-200ER service. 777 and 767-300ER aircraft are usually reserved for high density domestic markets and international flights.
American Airlines was one of three carriers (Continental Airlines and Delta Air Lines being the other two) to sign an exclusivity agreement with Boeing in the late 1990s. When Boeing acquired McDonnell Douglas, the European Union forced Boeing to void the contracts. However, both parties have been adhering to and intend to adhere to the terms under a gentlemen's agreement.
[edit] Current fleet
As of August 2006 the American Airlines fleet includes<ref>Flight International, 3-9 October 2006</ref> :
| Type | Fleet | Passengers (First/Business*/Economy) | Routes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A300-600R | 34 | 267 (16/251) | Bogota, Cancun, Caracas, Caribbean, Guayaquil, Lima | High Density Short-Medium Haul Routes |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-82/83 | 310 | 136 (16/120) | Predominantly East-West Flights Through DFW, Chicago and St. Louis. | Short-Medium Haul Domestic Routes |
| Boeing 737-800 | 77 (47 Orders) | 142 (16/126) | Caribbean, Canada, and Latin American Flights Flights Are Predominantly Operated From Dallas/Fort Worth and Miami. All To Be Fitted With Winglets | Short-Medium Haul North American Routes |
| Boeing 757-200 | 143 | 188 (22/166) 180 (22/158) | Caribbean, Hawaiian, European, Major Airport to Major Airport and Latin American Flights Ex-TWA 757's Are Being Phased Out All To Be Fitted With Winglets | Medium-Long Haul Worldwide Routes |
| Boeing 767-200ER | 16 | 158 (9/30/119) | Service from JFK to Bermuda, Los Angeles, Miami, and San Francisco Non -ER Aircraft Being Phased Out of Service | Long Haul Domestic Routes |
| Boeing 767-300ER | 58 | 213 (30/183) | Europe, Hawaii, and Latin America | Medium-Long Haul International Routes Occasional Hub-Hub Routes |
| Boeing 777-200ER | 47 (7 Orders) | 224 (16/35/182) 245 (18/35/201) | Brazil, Buenos Aires, Delhi, Frankfurt, London, Shanghai, Tokyo Miami-Los Angeles, Dallas-Chicago, Dallas-Miami | Long Haul International Routes |
*Business Class is offered on Boeing 767-200ER and 777-200ER aircraft only. </center>
[edit] Retired fleet
- BAC 111 (1964-1972)
- BAe 146 (1987-1993) (ex-AirCal)
- Boeing 707 (1959-1981)
- Boeing 717 (2001-2002) (ex-TWA)
- Boeing 727-023 (1964-1993)
- Boeing 727-223 (1966-2002)
- Boeing 737-1xx (1987-1993) (ex-AirCal)
- Boeing 737-2xx (1987-1993) (ex-AirCal)
- Boeing 737-3A4 (1987-1993) (ex-AirCal)
- Boeing 747-123 (1971-1983) (exchanged with Pan Am for additional DC-10s; one later used as a Shuttle Carrier Aircraft)
- Boeing 747-SP31 (1986-1994)
- Boeing 757-231 (2001-2006)
- Boeing 757-2Q8 (2001-2006)
- Boeing 767-331 (2001-2002) (ex-TWA)
- Boeing 767-3YO (2001-2002) (ex-TWA)
- Convair 240 (1950s-60s)
- Convair 990 (1970s)
- Curtiss Condor (1920s-30s)
- Douglas DC-2 (1930s)
- Douglas DC-3 (1930s)
- Douglas DC-4 (1940s)
- Douglas DC-6 (1947-1966)
- Douglas DC-7 (1950s)
- Douglas DC-9 (2001) (ex-TWA)
- Fokker F100 (1991-2004) (Sold to Jetsgo until its sudden liquidation, most that were not delivered to this airline, and all the ones that were being operated at the time of liquidation are now being sold to Avianca)
- Ford 5-AT-B Trimotor (1920s)
- Lockheed L-188 Electra (1950s-60s)
- McDonnell Douglas DC-10 (1972-2000) (most sold to FedEx)
- McDonnell Douglas MD-11 (1991-2002) (most sold to FedEx)
- McDonnell Douglas MD-87 (1999-2001) (ex-Reno Air)
- McDonnell Douglas MD-90 (1999-2001) (ex-Reno Air)
[edit] Codeshare agreements
American has codesharing agreements with Aer Lingus, Air Pacific, Air Sahara, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, China Eastern Airlines, Deutsche Bahn (AiRail Service), EVA Air, Finnair, Grupo TACA (to be discontinued soon), Gulf Air, Hawaiian Airlines, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN Airlines, Mexicana, Qantas Airways, SN Brussels Airlines, SNCF, TAM Airlines and Turkish Airlines. AmericanConnection, which feeds American's hub at Lambert Saint Louis International Airport, is also a codesharing operation with three regional carriers. It also has reciprocal agreements for earning frequent flyer miles with several airlines, including all other members of the Oneworld alliance.
While British Airways is a member of this alliance and members of its Executive Club can earn EC credit for AA flights within the US, they cannot earn it for AA transatlantic flights between the UK and the U.S. The same applies in reverse to AAdvantage members who will not earn miles for US-UK flights with British Airways. Since the origin of this restriction lies in the combined AA-BA market share between the U.S. and the UK, it does not apply British Airways transatlantic flights between the UK and a city outside the U.S. For example, an AAdvantage member who flies on a British Airways transatlantic flight that originates in Bermuda, Nassau, or Toronto can earn AA miles. Similarly, it does not apply to AA and any other airline on other routes.
[edit] Incidents and accidents
- On October 23, 1942, American Airlines Flight 28, en route from Burbank, California to New York City, crashed in Chino Canyon near Palm Springs after it was clipped by a U.S. Army Air Corps Lockheed B-34 Ventura II bomber. The crash killed all nine passengers and crew of three aboard the Douglas DC-3; among the victims was award-winning composer and Hollywood songwriter Ralph Rainger ("Thanks for the Memory," "Blue Hawaii," "Love in Bloom," etc.). The bomber, being flown by a two-man crew, landed safely.
- Flight 320, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, crashed on approach to LaGuardia on February 3, 1959 due to pilot error.
- Flight 1, a Boeing 707, crashed shortly after takeoff from Idlewild (now JFK) airport on March 1, 1962 due to a maintenance error causing rudder failure.
- Flight 383, a Boeing 727, crashed on approach to Cincinnati airport on November 8, 1965.
- December 28 1970; American Airlines (Trans Caribbean Airways) 727-200; St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands: The aircraft had a hard landing which caused it to bounce. The crew executed a second touchdown which caused on of the main landing gear to fail. The aircraft overran the runway on the right side and hit an embankment. None of the crew members and two of the 46 passengers were killed.
- Flight 625, a Boeing 727, crashed on approach to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands on April 27, 1976.
- Flight 191, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10, crashed at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport on May 25, 1979. During the takeoff roll, the left engine and pylon separated from the wing. The crew continued the takeoff, but wing damage due to the engine separation also damaged the aircraft hydraulic system and caused retraction of some flight control surfaces. The aircraft rolled and crashed shortly after takeoff. All 258 passengers and 13 crew were killed. Two people on the ground were also killed.
- February 19 1988; American Eagle Fairchild Metro III; Cary, North Carolina: The aircraft departed during low ceiling, low visibility, and night conditions. Shortly after takeoff the aircraft impacted a reservoir. Analysis of radar data indicated the aircraft was in a 45 degree descending turn. Both crew members and all 10 passengers were killed.
- June 7 1992; American Eagle (Executive Air) CASA 212-200; Mayaguez, Puerto Rico: The aircraft crashed one kilometer short of the runway in bad weather. Both crew and all three passengers were killed.
- October 31 1994; American Eagle ATR 72; Near Roselawn, Indiana: The aircraft inverted, dived, and crashed from holding pattern at 10,000 feet (3050 m) due to icing. The four crew and 64 passengers were all killed.
- December 13 1994; American Eagle Jetstream 31; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina: Crashed about 5 miles (8 km) short of the runway at night in icing conditions and with possible engine trouble. Both crew and 13 of the 18 passengers were killed.
- Flight 965, a Boeing 757, crashed on approach to Calí, Colombia, on December 20, 1995, due to an outdated flight map.
- Flight 1420, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashed on landing to Little Rock, Arkansas on June 1, 1999.
- Two American Airlines aircraft were hijacked and crashed during the September 11, 2001 attacks: Flight 77 (a Boeing 757) and Flight 11 (a Boeing 767).
- Flight 587, an Airbus A300 crashed in New York City on November 12, 2001, due to overuse of rudder.
- American almost lost Flight 63 to "shoe bomber" Richard Reid on December 22 of the same year, but the plot was foiled. The flight was en route from Paris Charles De Gaulle to Miami, and was diverted to Boston's Logan Airport.
- October 19 2004; AmericanConnection BAe Jetstream 32; near Kirksville, Missouri: The aircraft was on a scheduled flight from St. Louis to Kirksville when it crashed about four miles (6.4 km) south of the destination airport. All but 2 on board died.
- A passenger on Flight 924, who officials said claimed to have a bomb in a carry-on bag, was shot and killed by a team of federal air marshals on the jetway as the plane boarded at Miami International Airport for a flight to Orlando, Florida, from Medellín, Colombia, on December 7, 2005.
- In June 2005 a Boeing 767-200 (registered N330AA) that was being checked by American Airlines maintenance at Los Angeles International caught fire is its number one engine. The fire damaged part of the left wing.
- A McDonnell-Douglas MD82 en route San Antonio, Texas to Los Angeles (Flight 1581) made an emergency landing at Los Angeles International on June 6, 2006 after the pilot reported a hydraulic failure. The aircraft landed safely at 3:50pm and was towed to the gate.
- A Boeing 777-200 en route London Heathrow-New York JFK made an emergency landing at Dublin on June 12, 2006 after the smell of smoke was reported on board.
- An Airbus A300 en route San Juan PR-Orlando (Flight 478) made an emergency landing at the Miami International Airport on June 13, 2006 following a hydraulic problem.
- An MD-80 aircraft, Flight 1740 from Los Angeles to Chicago made a safe emergency landing in Chicago on June 20, 2006 when the nose gear failed to extend, forcing the plane into a belly landing. The aircraft flew by the control tower to confirm the landing gear was not down, then circled the airport to burn fuel. The landing did not cause a fire.<ref name="Reuters">AMR flight lands safely after mechanical failure. Reuters.com (2006-06-20). Retrieved on 2006-06-20.</ref>
- On July 26, 2006, a Boeing 777 jet en-route from London Heathrow to LAX lost power of one of its engines. It landed safely at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport 30 minutes after trouble was reported. None of the 250 passengers on board were injured, and the incident is under investigation.
- Flight 109 from London Heathrow Airport to Boston's Logan Airport was called back to Heathrow on August 7, 2006 after immigration authorities discovered that a passenger who was on the "No-fly list" was onboard.
- Flight 2032 Boeing 757 from Los Angeles International Airport bound for Chicago O'Hare International Airport made an emergency landing at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport due to low cabin pressure. There were no fatalities. But some people complained of massive headaches. Under investigation.
- On American Airlines Flight 45 on 8-22-06, two flight attendants and the captain threatened to divert the plane if a gay couple did not refrain from resting their heads on each other's shoulders. A spokesperson for American stood behind the employees' actions. Reported in the New Yorker Magazine on 9-25-2006.<ref>http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/articles/060925ta_talk_collins.</ref>
[edit] Livery
American's early liveries varied widely, but a common 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 an industrial designer 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. However, American's employees revolted when the livery was made public, and launched a "Save the Eagle" campaign similar to the "Save the Flying Red Horse" campaign at Mobil. Eventually, the designer caved in and created a highly stylized eagle, dubbed "the bug," which remains the company's logo to this day. In 1999, American painted a new Boeing 757 in its 1959 international orange livery.
American is the only major U.S. airline that leaves the majority of its aircraft surfaces unpainted. Originally, this was because C. R. Smith hated painted aircraft, and refused to use any liveries that involved painting the entire plane. Crandall later justified the distinctive natural metal finish by noting that less paint reduced the aircraft's weight, thus saving on fuel costs. Eastern Air Lines and US Airways have also maintained unpainted airplanes in the past.
[edit] Slogans
Current - "we know why you fly, we're American Airlines."
2001 (post-9/11) - "We are an airline that is proud to bear the name American"
Mid 1980s-mid 1990's - "Something special in the air"
1970s-1980s - "We're American Airlines, doing what we do best"
Early 1970s - "It's good to know you're on American Airlines."
1967-1969 - "Fly the American Way"
1964-1967 - "American built an airline for professional travelers."
1950s-early 1960s - "America's Leading Airline"
[edit] Miscellaneous
Image:Stewardess, circa 1949-50, American Overseas, Flaghip Denmark, Boeing 377 Stratocruiser.jpg
- In the 1960s, Mattel released a series of American Airlines stewardess Barbie dolls.
- An "American Airlines Space Freighter," the Valley Forge, was the setting for the 1971 science fiction movie Silent Running, starring Bruce Dern and directed by Douglas Trumbull. The freighter featured the then-new "AA" logo on the hull.
- On 30 March 1973 American became the first major airline to employ a female pilot when Bonnie Tiburzi was hired to fly Boeing 727s.
- American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first-class.
- AA was featured prominently in the first two Home Alone movies.
- In the early 1990s, singer Janet Jackson made a commercial for AA.
- AA has been a long-time promotional sponsor of The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from AA's hub city of Chicago.
- AA is one of the few companies to have purchased naming rights for two sporting venues: the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami and the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The 2006 NBA Finals saw the Miami Heat taking on the Dallas Mavericks, creating great exposure for American Airlines.
- American received a 100% rating on the first Corporate Equality Index released by the Human Rights Campaign in 2002 and has maintained their rating in respect to policies on LGBT employees.
- Lieutenant Governor Brian Dubie of Vermont made a career being a pilot for American Airlines.
- AA's in-flight magazine is titled American Way.
- American Airlines is the first airline to develop a frequent flyer program, dubbed AAdvantage and created on May 1, 1981. It is the largest airline loyalty program in the world and maintains an active membership of over 50 million members.
- As at 2006, AA's regional companion American Eagle has nearly completed an extensive fleet transformation replacing their vast number of turboprops with Embraer regional jets and Canadair regional jets, with the exception of the remaining ATR & Saab turboprops which they are in the process of phasing out.
- AA's "American Connection" service operates from the Saint Louis hub only. Unlike "American Eagle", AA Connection is not operated by American Airlines crew, nor are the airplanes owned by AMR Corp. "American Connection" operates as a franchise or codeshare of American Airlines.
[edit] References
<references /> Vignelli Associates designed the AA with eagle logo in 1967. Vignelli attributes the introduction of his firm to American Airlines to Henry Dreyfuss, the legendary AA design consultant. The logo, as it was originally designed, is still in use today.
[edit] Sources
- John M. Capozzi, A Spirit of Greatness (JMC, 2001), ISBN 0-9656410-3-1
- Don Bedwell, Silverbird: The American Airlines Story (Airways, 1999), ISBN 0-9653993-6-2
- Al Casey, Casey's Law (Arcade, 1997), ISBN 1-55970-307-5
- Simon Forty, ABC American Airlines (Ian Allan, 1997), ISBN 1-882663-21-7
- Dan Reed, The American Eagle: The Ascent of Bob Crandall and American Airlines (St. Martin's, 1993), ISBN 0-312-08696-2
- Robert J. Serling, Eagle (St. Martin's, 1985), ISBN 0-312-22453-2
- International Directory of Company Histories, St. James Press.
[edit] External links
- American Airlines
- American Airlines Fleet Detail
- American Airlines Fleet Age
- American Airlines C.R. Smith Museum
- American Airlines current route maps
- American Airlines historical timetables and route maps
- American Way, American's inflight magazine
- Stop and Think, an American Airlines-funded pro-Wright Amendment group
- Unofficial Guide to American Airlines AAdvantage
- American Airlines AAdvantage Forum on Flyertalk.com
- American Airlines Wiki on Flyertalk.com
- American Airlines AAdvantage Bonus Miles Promotions
- American Airlines Seating Charts on SeatGuru.com
- American Airlines Passenger Opinions
| Members of the oneworld Alliance |
|
Aer Lingus • American Airlines • British Airways |
| Members of the Air Transport Association | |
|---|---|
| ABX Air | Alaska Airlines | Aloha Airlines | American Airlines | Astar Air Cargo | ATA Airlines | Atlas Air | Continental Airlines | Delta Air Lines | Evergreen International Airlines | FedEx | Hawaiian Airlines | JetBlue Airways | Midwest Airlines | Northwest Airlines | Southwest Airlines | United Airlines | UPS Airlines | US Airways | |
| Associate Members: Aeroméxico | Air Canada | Air Jamaica | Mexicana | |
| Frequent Flyer Programs |
|---|
| AAdvantage (American Airlines) • Aeroplan (Air Canada) • Asia Miles (Cathay Pacific) • AviancaPlus (Avianca) • EuroBonus (SAS & Others) • Flying Blue (Air France-KLM) • KrisFlyer (Singapore Airlines) • Miles & More (Lufthansa & Others) • Skywards (Emirates & SriLankan) • Qualiflyer (Swissair) Unaffiliated programs: Air Miles • FlyBuys |
Accenture | Accor | Accovia | AgentWare | Air Transport Association | Airline Tariff Publishing Company (ATPCO) | Airlines Reporting Corporation | AirTran Airways | Altius Par | Amadeus | American Airlines | American Automobile Association | American Hotel & Motel Association | American Tours International | Amtrak | ANC Rental | ARINC | ATLAS Solutions | Auto Europe | Axisdata | BASK | Baymont Inn & Suites | Best Western International | BTI Canadav| Car Trawler | Carlson Hospitality | Cendant Car Rental Group | Cendant Corporation | CNG Travel Group | Computerized Airline Sales & Marketing Association | Contal Systems Pty. Ltd. | Continental Airlines | CSA Travel Protection | Cultuzz Digital Media | Datalex Communications USA | Delta Air Lines | Derbysoft | DollarThrifty Automotive Group | The Eastman Group | EC Promotion Organization for Travel Industry | EDS | Elleipsis | Electric Vine Interactive | Enterprise Rent-A-Car | Europecar Australia | Europcar International | Expedia | Fidelio Cruise Software | Friend Communications | Galileo International | GHRS | Globus and Cosmos | Global Matrix | Goldenware Travel Technologies | Group Voyagers | HEDNA | Hertz Corporation | Hilton Hotels | Hospitality Solutions International | Hotel Booking Solutions | Hotel Concepts | Hotel Information Systems | Hotelzon International | Hyatt Corporation | IBM | IDeas Inc. | IGM Web | Integrityone | Interactive Technologies | InterContinental Hotels | Interface Technologies | IPEC | ITA Software | Itravelinsured | KDS | Lanyon | Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts | Leonardo Media | LibGo Travel | Lumina Technologies Pty Limited | Marriott International | Meridian7/AdventureCentral.com | Microsoft | Midwest Airlines | Multi-Systems Inc. | National Golf Course Owners Association | Navigant International | Newmarket International | Northrop Grumman | Norwegian Cruise Line | OAG Worldwide | Omni Hotels | OpenJaw Technologies | Open Travel Software | Orange Technologies | Orbitz | Outrigger Hotels & Resorts | Pass Consulting | Passkey International | Pegasus Solutions | PlanSoft | Protel Software | Realtime Enterprises | Resonline | Rezlink International | Royal Caribbean | The Rubicon Group | Sabre Holdings | SAP AG | Shanghai DerbySoft | SideStep | SITA | Site Visit | SkyTech Solutions | SoftBrands Hospitality | Softvoyage | Star Alliance | Starwood Hotels & Resorts | Stena Line | Strategic Systems Technology | Sun Country Airlines | Sun Microsystems | Tauck World Discovery | Telme Online Limited | The Software Group | Tourism British Columbia | Tourco | Tourism Technology | Travel Technology Group | Travel Technology Initiative | Travelport | Traventec | TravTech.com | Trilegiant Loyalty Solutions | Trisept Solutions | TRX | Unisys Global Transportation | United Airlines | US Airways | Vanguard Car Rental USA | VFM Interactive | Viator.com Tours | Virtuoso Ltd. | Voyager Technologies | WizCom International | World Access Service Corporation | Worldspan
de:American Airlines es:American Airlines fa:آمريكن ايرلاينز fr:American Airlines ko:아메리칸 항공 id:American Airlines nl:American Airlines ja:アメリカン航空 no:American Airlines pl:American Airlines pt:American Airlines simple:American Airlines fi:American Airlines sv:American Airlines zh-yue:美國航空 zh:美國航空
