There are several indicators of the world's largest airlines, and American Airlines ranks first in the world in terms of regular passenger capacity, fleet size and total passenger miles. Founded in 1926, it has experienced many ups and downs in the nearly one century of operation.
From the DC-3 of the airline's "ancient" airliner airliner era, to the recent delivery of the Airbus A321neo, American Airlines has 1,955 jets alone. American Airlines and regional partners now operate an extensive international and domestic network. It operates 6,800 flights per day to nearly 350 destinations in more than 50 countries.
American Airlines has an existing fleet of 895 aircraft, 1047 decommissioned, and the total jet fleet size has reached 1955
The first jet received by American Airlines was the BAC 1-11 400 series delivered in February 1966 (registration number: N5018)
American Airlines' development into the world's largest airline was not a day's work
American Airlines' history dates back to April 15, 1926, when Charles Lindbergh flew what would become American Airlines' first aircraft on a freight route from St. Louis, Missouri to Chicago, Illinois. Limited by the aircraft payload at the time, the main business of the airline at that time was to transport mail.
As passenger aircraft became larger and larger, airlines gradually shifted from transporting mail to transporting passengers in the 1930s. Robertson Aircraft and Colonial Air Transport led the formation of American Airlines with more than 80 smaller airlines. In 1934, CR · Smith took the helm of American Airlines, which at the time enforced new laws and mail contracts, which also forced American Airlines to optimize its route network.
CR· One of Smith's most important contributions to the aviation industry was the development of the DC-3 in collaboration with Donald Douglas. American Became the first airline to offer commercial service between New York and Chicago, and the DC-3 made American the first airline to make money from passenger traffic — at a time when other airlines relied on U.S. Postal Services.
American Airlines referred to the DC-3 as its "flagship" airliner and pioneered the formation of the Admirals Club. American Airlines also partnered with Fiorello Henry LaGuardia to build an airport in New York. For more than 80 years, the New York-Los Angeles flight has become an iconic Flight for American Airlines.
After World War II, American Airlines acquired U.S. export airlines and renamed it U.S. Overseas Airlines to serve European routes. AOA was later sold to Pan Am, and American Airlines established another American Airlines, Aeromexico.
In response to the post-war aviation market boom, CR· Smith began working with aircraft manufacturers to advance the development of new aircraft, including the Convair-240 and Douglas DC-7. The DC-7 became a game-changer at the time, with American Airlines using it to transport more passengers on the New York-Los Angeles route.
Long-haul routes at the time were often slow and offset, and the advent of the DC-7 helped American Airlines pioneer lucrative continental routes. In 1953, American Airlines used the DC-7 to launch a transcontinental route. By the late 1950s, however, jetliner technology was maturing, turboprops began to decline, and American Airlines was betting on Boeing's 707s, which also made them profitable.
On January 25, 1959, American Airlines used the Boeing 707 to provide the first jet airliner service across the continent in the U.S. market. The use of jetliners has allowed American Airlines to consolidate its position in the increasingly competitive aviation market. American Airlines and Boeing also forged a good partnership, and over the next 20 years, the 707 became the backbone of America's airlines' scale and route network expansion.
In 1964, American Airlines had a milestone when they became the first airline to hire African-American pilots. Dave Harris flew for the airline for more than 30 years before retiring.
In 1973, American Airlines also hired a female pilot: Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo, who became the first female pilot hired by a major U.S. airline, and she flew for 26 years.
In 1978, the U.S. aviation industry ushered in a radical change — the authorities passed the Airline Deregulation Act, and the aviation market was freed from government control over routes, airlines, and fares. Airline operations and strategy have also entered a new era, which has led to some major changes for American airlines.
In the increasingly competitive civil aviation market, not every airline is in a good position. Airlines before deregulation faced new competition and weak networks. Some airlines are facing bankruptcy or worse, and American airlines have taken important countermeasures at this time.
In 1981, American Airlines introduced the "AAdvantage" frequent flyer program, which also led other airlines to follow suit. It's one of many initiatives American Airlines has taken to stay competitive.
Shortly after the deregulation of air traffic, American Airlines relocated its headquarters to Texas and began building its largest hub base at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. American Airlines formed a hub-and-spoke model in Fort Worth, directing passenger flow to international markets and remaining profitable.
With the collapse of some airlines, including Eastern, American Airlines also saw opportunities in new markets and gradually penetrated into latin American markets.
On March 27, 1993, American Airlines shipped its 1 billionth customer in history. In addition, the U.S. aviation industry began a new round of expansion, they purchased Awawacht to London Heathrow route. In 1999, American Airlines also pioneered a new model of airline partnership, forming the Oneworld alliance with British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Air Canada and Qantas.
After entering the 21st century, the global civil aviation industry has suffered a head-on blow. On September 11, 2001, the hijacking case that shocked the world completely changed the aviation industry. Two American Airlines airliners were hijacked, resulting in thousands of lives in the terrorist attack. Airlines are also in financial crisis, and American Airlines is facing an existential crisis.
It wasn't until 2005 that American Airlines came out of the shadow of 9/11. However, the good times did not last long, and the financial crisis of 2008 dealt another heavy blow to the airline. This forced American Airlines to further adjust its route network, retiring some older models and closing its kansas City maintenance base to survive the "cold winter."
In 2011, American Airlines announced its largest ever aircraft order, which would order 460 narrow-body airliners, including boeing 737s and Airbus A320s, and they also phased out the MD-80 and introduced boeing 787s, 737 MAX and Airbus A321neo.
Tragically, After American airlines announced the "Order of the Century," it filed for bankruptcy. As the company restructured, they also began looking for partners to counter the merger of Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines, as well as the merger of United and Continental.
In 2014, American Airlines and US Airways merged to become the world's largest airline. In October 2015, The former American Airlines completed its last flight.
The combined American Airlines increased flights to Asia and expanded its operations in the Pacific. In February 2020, American Airlines announced the formation of the West Coast International Alliance with Alaska Airlines. Subsequently, they formed the Northeast Alliance with JetBlue Airways and announced the opening of new flights to Delhi, Tel Aviv, Athens and other places.
Over the course of more than 90 years, American Airlines has grown to become the world's largest airline. The next few years are also a critical period in the development of American aviation, and a new competitive landscape is coming.