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What Is American Airlines?

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American Airlines throughout its 90 year existence has been constantly linked to aviation greatness. From its first flight by the legendary Charles Lindbergh, to its 2015 ranking as the “World’s Most Profitable Airline.” American Airlines currently boasts the largest aircraft fleet in the industry with over 900 aircraft and during 2015 that fleet carried a nation leading 146 million enplaned passengers. In the following we will look at how a small mail carrier evolved and survived amongst its competitors to become one of the top airlines in the world. Though the American Airlines name would not exists until 1934, an April 15, 1926 Robertson Aircraft Corporation flight from Chicago to St. Louis carrying sacks of U.S. mail aboard, …show more content…

In 1970 American Airlines continued its expansion with the purchase of Trans Caribbean Airways which allowed access to many Caribbean routes not allowed by other U.S. carriers. The company’s headquarters was moved from New York to Ft. Worth Texas in 1979 where it remains today. The 1980s was a very busy decade for the company first with its AAdvantage frequent flier program in 1981; that set the model of loyalty programs used by all other major airlines. In 1982 the company was reorganized to form the parent company AMR Corporation. In the early 1980s the company began to transitions to the “hub and spoke” system with its first hub at Dallas/Ft. Worth International and the second at Chicago O’Hare. In 1985 Robert L. Crandall took the reigns as CEO and continued the airlines expansion with more stops through the European market and the addition of flights to Japan. In 1986 after the purchase of AirCal for $225 million a hub was developed at San Jose International Airport. In an effort to compete with US Air business out of Charlotte International Airport on the east coast, American built a hub at Raleigh Durham International Airport. Plans for a fifth hub in Denver, CO were later not acted upon due to the soon to be developed Denver International Airport in the mid-1980s. The hubs in both San Jose and Raleigh Durham both proved to be short lived and rather unsuccessful ventures for American Airlines. On the west coast the smaller low fare, Southwest Airlines had a strong foothold on the market and the emergence of competition from American didn’t pull away any of Southwest’s business. The San Jose “hub” died almost as quickly as it was born with many of the facilities being sold to Reno Air which later merged back again with American Airlines in the late 90s. At Raleigh Durham it was

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