American Airlines facts for kids

Airline Partnerships

American Airlines is part of the Oneworld alliance. An alliance is a group of airlines that work together. This means they share flights and offer benefits to each other's passengers. American also has agreements with other airlines called "codeshares." This means you can buy a ticket from American Airlines, but fly on a plane operated by another airline.

Here are some airlines American Airlines partners with:

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

Joint Ventures

American Airlines has special partnerships called "joint ventures" with some Oneworld members. These are more than just codeshares. They plan routes, schedules, and share money from flights together.

• The Atlantic Joint Business covers flights across the Atlantic Ocean with Aer Lingus, British Airways, Finnair, and Iberia.
• The Pacific Joint Business covers flights across the Pacific Ocean with Japan Airlines.
• Another joint venture with Qantas covers flights between the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

Types of Seats (Cabins)

American Airlines offers different types of seating, called "cabins," on its planes. These range from very fancy to more basic.

Flagship First

Flagship First seats on an Airbus A321.

Flagship First is American's top-level first class. It's for international flights and long flights across the U.S. (like New York to Los Angeles). These seats are very comfortable and can lie completely flat. Each seat has direct access to the aisle. Passengers get special food, drinks, and access to airport lounges.

Flagship Business

Flagship Business seats on an Airbus A321.

Flagship Business is American's business class for international and long U.S. flights. These seats also lie completely flat. Passengers get free drinks, multi-course meals, and lounge access.

First and Business (Domestic)

First/Business class on a Boeing 737 MAX 8.

On flights within the U.S., American offers a First class. When these planes are used for international flights, this cabin is called Business class. These seats are wider and have more legroom than economy seats. Passengers get free drinks and snacks. On longer flights, they also get meals.

Premium Economy

Premium Economy is a step up from regular economy. It's available on larger planes. These seats are wider and offer more space. Passengers get two free checked bags, priority boarding (meaning they get on the plane sooner), and better food and drink service, including free alcohol. American Airlines was the first U.S. airline to offer this four-cabin setup.

Main Cabin

Main Cabin (economy) on an Airbus A321neo.

Main Cabin is American's standard economy class. It's on all of their planes. Seats are usually 17 to 18.5 inches wide. Some rows in the Main Cabin are called "Main Cabin Preferred." You can pay extra to choose these seats.

Main Cabin Extra

Main Cabin Extra seats are in the front rows and exit rows of the economy cabin. They have more legroom. Passengers also get free alcoholic drinks and can board the plane earlier than Main Cabin passengers.

Basic Economy

Basic Economy is American's lowest-priced ticket. It comes with more rules. For example, you might not get to choose your seat until you check in. These tickets usually can't be changed or refunded. Basic Economy passengers board the plane last.

In 2017, American Airlines added more seats to some of its planes, like the Boeing 737 MAX 8. This meant less legroom in some economy seats. This change, called "Project Oasis," has been put into many planes. Some passengers, especially frequent flyers, do not like these new seats because they have less padding and no screens on the seatbacks.

Loyalty Programs

AAdvantage

AAdvantage is American Airlines' program for frequent flyers. It started on May 1, 1981. It is the largest program of its kind, with over 115 million members in 2021. Members earn "miles" when they fly. They can use these miles for free tickets, seat upgrades, or discounts on car rentals and hotel stays.

Members who fly a lot can become "elite" members. These levels are AAdvantage Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro, and Executive Platinum. Elite members get special benefits like faster check-in, priority for upgrades, and other perks. Their status also works with American's Oneworld partner airlines.

American Airlines also offers AAdvantage credit cards. These cards give members more benefits.

Admirals Club

The Admirals Club is a special lounge at the airport for American Airlines' best customers. It was started in 1939 by American Airlines president C.R. Smith. He wanted to make important passengers feel special.

The first Admirals Club opened at LaGuardia Airport in New York. Later, another opened at Washington National Airport. For many years, you could only join the Admirals Club if the airline invited you. But in 1974, it became a paid membership program.

Flagship Lounge

The Flagship Lounge is a separate, even more exclusive lounge. It is for passengers flying in Flagship First and Flagship Business class on international and long U.S. flights. It offers a higher level of service than the Admirals Club.

Company Information

Business Trends

Here's a look at how American Airlines has been doing financially:

Headquarters

Signs of the former American Airlines headquarters.

American Airlines' main office is in Fort Worth, Texas. It's called the "Robert L. Crandall Campus." This campus has five office buildings and is very large. It is located near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, which is American's biggest hub.

Before moving to Texas, American Airlines was based in New York City. In 1979, they moved their headquarters to Fort Worth. In 2015, American announced plans to build a new headquarters in Fort Worth. Construction started in 2016 and was finished in September 2019. The new building can hold 5,000 new employees.

Company Look (Corporate Identity)

Logo

American Airlines' fourth logo, used until 2013.

In 1931, an American Airlines employee designed the first AA logo. It featured an eagle. In 1967, the logo was redesigned by Massimo Vignelli. American Airlines later bought the website address AA.com. "AA" is also the airline's two-letter code.

On January 17, 2013, American Airlines launched a new logo and marketing campaign. The new logo includes parts of the 1967 design.

Aircraft Livery (Paint Scheme)

American's previous paint scheme on an MD-83 in May 2012.

For many years, American Airlines planes had a special look. Most of their planes were left unpainted, showing the shiny metal. This was because a former CEO, C. R. Smith, didn't like painted planes. Another CEO, Robert Crandall, said that less paint made the planes lighter, saving fuel.

On January 17, 2013, American Airlines showed off a new paint scheme for its planes. This new design has an abstract American flag on the tail. The main part of the plane is still silver, like a nod to the old look.

A Boeing 737-800 with the current paint scheme in June 2013.

A US Airways plane with its paint scheme in October 2015.

After American Airlines merged with US Airways, employees voted on which paint scheme to keep. They chose to keep the new look. American Airlines also decided to keep some planes painted in the old styles of airlines that merged with them, like US Airways and TWA.

Employee Relations

Different groups of American Airlines employees have unions that represent them:

• The Allied Pilots Association represents American Airlines pilots.
• The Association of Professional Flight Attendants represents American Airlines flight attendants.
• Flight attendants at the smaller regional airlines (Envoy, Piedmont, and PSA) are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants – Communications Workers of America (AFA-CWA).
• The Transport Workers Union-International Association of Machinists alliance (TWU-IAM) represents most of the ground workers and mechanics.
• Customer service and gate employees belong to the Communications Workers of America/International Brotherhood of Teamsters Passenger Service Association.
• PAFCA-AAL represents the Aircraft Dispatchers. These are specialists who share responsibility with the pilot for the safety of each flight.

Subsidiary Companies

Sky Chefs

In 1942, American Airlines started Sky Chefs. This company provided food for their planes. In 1986, Sky Chefs was sold.

Americana Hotels

In the late 1960s, American Airlines also started a hotel chain called Flagship Hotels. In 1972, they leased more hotels and renamed the whole chain Americana Hotels. American Airlines sold Americana Hotels in 1980.

Important Issues

Lifetime AAirpass

In 1981, American Airlines offered a special "lifetime pass" for unlimited travel. It cost $250,000. Twenty-eight people bought these passes. However, the airline later realized these passes were costing them a lot of money. Some pass holders flew very often, even for short trips or multiple times a month to other countries. American Airlines raised the price to $3 million and then stopped offering it in 2003. They even canceled two passes, saying there was "fraudulent activity."

Cabin Fume Events

Sometimes, strange odors or fumes can appear in airplane cabins. This can be a safety concern for passengers and crew.

• In 1988, on American Airlines Flight 132, smoke was reported in the cabin. The crew did not immediately realize how serious it was.
• In 2007, on American Airlines Flight 843, toxic fumes leaked into the cabin. A flight attendant later sued, saying she got sick from the fumes.
• In 2017, on American Airlines Flight 1896, seven flight attendants were hospitalized after a strange odor. This plane had similar issues before.
• In 2018, flight attendants protested about sick days. They mentioned concerns about toxic cabin air and other issues making them sick.
• In 2019, two pilots and three flight attendants on Flight 1897 were hospitalized after a strange odor.

Discrimination Complaints

In 2017, the NAACP (a civil rights organization) advised African Americans to be careful when flying with American Airlines. This was after four incidents where they felt passengers were treated unfairly. For example, a Black woman was moved from first class to coach, but her white friend was allowed to stay. The NAACP said that most of their complaints about airlines that year were about American Airlines. In 2018, the NAACP lifted its advisory, saying American Airlines had made improvements.

Accidents and Incidents