US Airways Express was the brand name for the regional affiliate of US Airways , under which a number of individually owned commuter air carriers and regional airlines operate short and medium haul routes. This code sharing service was previously operated as USAir Express . Mainline carriers often outsource to regional airlines to operate services in order to increase frequency, serve routes that would not sustain larger aircraft, or for other competitive reasons. US Airways Express operations were conducted from smaller markets in the United States , Canada , and the Bahamas primarily centered on US Airways' major hubs and focus cities .
59-417: Upon the completion of US Airways' merger process with American Airlines , US Airways Express was rebranded as American Eagle on October 17, 2015. US Airways Express traced its beginnings to 1967, when Henson Airlines began operating as Allegheny Commuter , a feeder carrier for Allegheny Airlines , predecessor to US Airways . The initial route was Baltimore - Hagerstown . This is generally credited as
118-461: A component of The Aviation Corporation in 1930, merging many companies into American Airways in 1934, eventually becoming American Airlines . RAC's Sloniger would be named chief pilot and hold pilot seniority #1 at the newly created American Airlines. On August 1, 1943 an "all St. Louis -built" WACO CG-4A-RO military troop and cargo transport glider (S/N 42-78839) built under license by RAC suffered in-flight structural failure and crashed during
177-500: A demonstration flight at Lambert Field in St. Louis before a Sunday afternoon air show crowd of over 5,000 people when its right wing separated shortly after it had been released at about 2,000 feet by its Army C-47 tow plane killing all ten souls on board. The glider was flown by CPT Milton C. Klugh (pilot) and PFC Jack W. Davis (co-pilot/mechanic) of the USAAF 71st Troop Carrier Command, and
236-558: 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. On February 19, 1968,
295-768: 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 inches (1.7 m) 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,
354-651: 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 (17 ha) property adjacent to the airline's flight academy and conference and training center, west of Texas State Highway 360 , 2 miles (3.2 km) west from the current headquarters. The airline will lease 300 acres (120 ha) from Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport, and this area will include
413-425: 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
472-471: 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
531-618: 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
590-405: A personal item. Still, American later 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 inches (5.1 cm), going from the current 31 to 29 inches (79 to 74 cm). The remainder of the main cabin
649-490: A pitch of 34 inches (86 cm) or more. Amid financial losses, this scheme was discontinued in 2004. 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
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#1732794525913708-540: A round-trip flight between Los Angeles and Chicago. 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
767-453: 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
826-593: 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. AAdvantage allows one-way redemption, starting at 7,500 miles. 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
885-585: A variety of twin turboprop aircraft over the years including the following types: American Airlines American Airlines is a major airline in the United States headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas , within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex . It is the largest airline in the world when measured by scheduled passengers carried, revenue passenger mile, and daily flights. American, along with its regional subsidiaries and contractors operating under
944-496: 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
1003-851: Is American's economy product found on all mainline and regional aircraft in its fleet. Seats range from 17–18.5 inches (43–47 cm) in width and have 30–32 inches (76–81 cm) 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. American Airlines marketed increased legroom in economy class as "More Room Throughout Coach", also referred to as "MRTC", starting in February 2000. Two rows of economy class seats were removed on domestic narrowbody aircraft, resulting in more than half of all standard economy seats having
1062-746: Is not a part of the JV. American Airlines has a joint venture with fellow Oneworld member Japan Airlines for flights across the Pacific. Combined, the airlines offer 16 daily flights to 9 cities between Japan and the United States with connections possible on Japan Airlines beyond Japan, and on American Airlines throughout North America, Latin America, and the Caribbean. American Airlines has received approval to add additional service between John F. Kennedy International Airport and Haneda Airport in Tokyo, making it
1121-442: Is offered on all domestically configured aircraft. Seats range from 19–21 inches (48–53 cm) in width and have 37–42 inches (94–107 cm) 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 miles (800 km), and meals on flights 900 miles (1,400 km) or longer. Premium Economy
1180-417: 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
1239-480: 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
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#17327945259131298-649: The 32nd anniversary of the Wright Brothers ' flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Its cabin was 92 in (2.3 m) 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 . American also had
1357-580: The US Airways Express banner and marketing brand, were expected to be discontinued although the remaining and independently operating airline subsidiaries, were expected to continue but operated with American Eagle branded colors. The US Airways Express brand, through its various regional and commuter airline partners, operated a variety of twinges aircraft over the years including the following types: The US Airways Express brand, through its various regional and commuter airline partners, operated
1416-487: 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. 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 1,700,000-square-foot (160,000 m ), five-building office complex called
1475-660: The above codeshares, American Airlines has entered into three joint ventures . American Airlines is a vital member of the Oneworld Atlantic joint venture on flights across the North Atlantic with European carriers British Airways , Finnair , and Iberia . Aer Lingus , which shares ownership with British Airways and Iberia, has received regulatory approval to join this joint venture. Itineraries including flights operated by Oneworld partner Alaska Airlines are sold as part of itineraries in this JV, but Alaska
1534-557: 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,
1593-426: 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
1652-557: 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. American Airlines is a founding member of the Oneworld alliance. American Airlines and American Eagle operate out of ten hubs, with Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) being the largest. The airline handles more than 200 million passengers annually, with an average of more than 500,000 passengers daily. As of 2023 ,
1711-463: The company employs 103,200 staff members. 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,
1770-511: 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. Robertson Aircraft Corporation Robertson Aircraft Corporation
1829-452: The eight VIP passengers were St. Louis Mayor William D. Becker , RAC President Maj William B. Robertson, RAC VP/Chief Engineer Harold A. Krueger, Deputy City Comptroller Charles L. Cunningham, St. Louis Army Air Forces Material Command Supervisor LTC Paul H. Hazelton, Director of Public Utilities Max H. Doyne, St. Louis County Court Presiding Judge Henry L. Mueller, and St. Louis Chamber of Commerce President Thomas N. Dysart. James Robertson,
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1888-504: The financial year ending 31 December): American Airlines, Inc., is publicly traded through its parent company, American Airlines Group Inc., under NASDAQ: AAL Nasdaq : AAL , with a market capitalization of about $ 12 billion as of 2019, and is included in the S&;P 500 index . American Eagle is a network of six regional carriers that operate under a codeshare and service agreement with American, operating flights to destinations in
1947-488: The first U.S. carrier to offer a four-cabin aircraft. Main Cabin Extra is American's enhanced economy product. It is available on all of the mainline fleet and American Eagle aircraft. Main Cabin Extra seats include greater pitch than is available in the main cabin, complimentary alcoholic beverages and boarding one group ahead of the main cabin. American retained Main Cabin Extra when the new Premium Economy product entered service in late 2016. Main Cabin (economy class)
2006-561: 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. In 1931, an American employee, Goodrich Murphy designed the AA logo as an entry in a logo contest. The eagle in
2065-545: 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
2124-496: The industry's first codeshare agreement and the first major airline to use another airline as its commuter partner. Throughout the 1970s, many other commuter airlines would join the Allegheny Commuter system providing feeder service from small communities for Allegheny Airlines. Allegheny Airlines was changed to USAir in 1979 however the feeder network still carried the name of Allegheny Commuter until 1989 when it
2183-518: 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 . As of September 2024 , American Airlines flies (or has flown) to the following destinations: American currently operates ten hubs. American Airlines is a member of the Oneworld alliance and has codeshares with the following airlines: In addition to
2242-433: The logo was copied from a Scottish hotel brochure. The logo was redesigned by Massimo Vignelli in 1967. 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
2301-470: The majority of the airline's total fleet consists of Airbus aircraft. American Airlines is the world's largest operator of the 787-8, the smallest variant of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner . 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
2360-580: 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 ($ 459,000,000 when adjusted for inflation), 550,000-square-foot (51,000 m ) facility in Fort Worth; $ 147 million (about $ 450,000,000 when adjusted for inflation) in Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport bonds financed
2419-607: The name of PSA Airlines . The aircraft and other characteristics of the rebranded regional carriers bear no relation to their namesakes however many of the routes of Piedmont Airlines are former routes of the original Piedmont Airlines . The aircraft livery of US Airways Express aircraft was identical to US Airways ' mainline colors except for the word Express, which is attached to the basic US Airways livery . In April 2013, an internal memo distributed to American Eagle employees at American Airlines Group 's subsidiaries: (OW) Executive Airlines and American Eagle ; indicated
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2478-460: 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
2537-530: The only US airline flying between New York City and Tokyo and the joint venture the leader in frequencies offered between New York City and Tokyo's primary airport. In 2019, American Airlines received regulatory approval to enter into a joint business relationship with Qantas covering flights between Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. As of September 2024 , the American Airlines fleet consists of 971 mainline aircraft, making it
2596-441: 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
2655-560: 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)
2714-458: 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. The DC-10 made its first flight on August 29, 1970, and received its type certificate from the FAA on July 29, 1971. On August 5, 1971, the DC-10 entered commercial service with American Airlines on
2773-747: 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 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 class
2832-559: The third-largest commercial airline fleet in the world. American Airlines operates aircraft manufactured by Boeing and Airbus . Over 80% of American's aircraft are narrow-bodies from the Airbus A320 family and the Boeing 737 family . It is the largest A320 family aircraft operator in the world, as well as the largest operator of the A319 and A321 variants. American's wide-body aircraft are all Boeing airliners; however,
2891-693: Was a post- World War I American aviation service company based at the Lambert-St. Louis Flying Field near St. Louis, Missouri, that flew passengers and U.S. Air Mail , gave flying lessons, and performed exhibition flights. It also modified, re-manufactured, and resold surplus military aircraft including Standard J , Curtiss Jenny/Canuck , DeHavilland DH-4 , Curtiss Oriole , Spad , Waco , and Travel Air types in addition to Curtiss OX-5 engines. RAC also operated facilities in Kansas City, San Antonio, Houston, New Orleans, and Fort Wayne. The company
2950-412: 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
3009-516: Was by the airline's invitation. After a passenger sued for discrimination, the club switched to a paid membership program in 1974. 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. The key trends for American Airlines are (as of
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#17327945259133068-473: Was changed to USAir Express . In 1997 USAir changed its name again to US Airways at which time the feeder network became US Airways Express. Two major carriers that merged into USAir in the late 1980s, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) and Piedmont Airlines (1948-1989) had their corporate names retained to protect their trademarks . Henson Airlines later took on the name Piedmont Airlines and another USAir Express carrier, Jetstream International took on
3127-617: 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
3186-484: Was employed as chief pilot for the service. RAC started service with four converted DH-4 aircraft (#s 109-112) acquired from the U.S. Postal Service's Air Mail fleet two of which were lost in accidents in September and November, 1926, while being piloted by Lindbergh. In 1927, Slonnie Sloniger was hired and took over Lindbergh's CAM-2 route. RAC added service over CAM-29 between St.Louis and Omaha in May 1929. By 1928 RAC
3245-402: 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
3304-708: Was owned and operated by brothers Maj. William B. Robertson (1893–1943) and Frank H. Robertson (1898–1938) who were both former US Army aviators. William Robertson left the company in 1928 to form the Curtiss-Robertson division of Curtiss-Wright to produce aircraft such as the Curtiss Robin , which RAC sold. On April 15, 1926, Robertson Aircraft started Contract Air Mail service over route CAM-2 from Lambert Field to Chicago, with stops in Springfield, Illinois and Peoria, Illinois ; Charles Lindbergh
3363-490: Was providing daily passenger and express service as well over the St. Louis - Chicago mail route flown in 12-passenger Stout Ford Tri-Motors . During the Great Depression Robertson's flight operations were merged into Universal Aviation Corporation along with Continental Airlines , Northern Air Lines, and Paul R. Braniff Inc., which became Braniff International Airways Universal Aviation became
3422-429: 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. American's early liveries varied widely, but
3481-487: Was to have 30 inches (76 cm) 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. AAdvantage
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