History of American Airlines

History of American Airlines

On April 15, 1926, the first regularly scheduled flight for American Airlines included a bag of U.S. mail in a DH-4 biplane from Chicago to St. Louis, Missouri.

Robertson Aircraft Corporation and more than 80 other small airline companies were consolidated in 1929 and 1930 into the Aviation Corporation, which eventually formed American Airways, the immediate forerunner of today's American.

1930s

1933: American began flying the 18-passenger Curtiss Condor. Flight attendants — then called stewardesses — made their first appearance on an American aircraft

1934: American Airways was reorganized and became American Airlines, Inc.

1936: American is the first airline to fly the Douglas DC-3 in commercial service between New York and Chicago

1937: American carries its one millionth passenger

1939: All American Aviation — later US Airways — is founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

June 1939: American begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)

American Airlines in the 1930s
American Airlines in the 1940s

1940s

1942: American enters the airline catering business with a subsidiary called Sky Chefs to provide food service for its passengers as well as those flying other airlines

October 1944: American operates its first scheduled air cargo flights from New York's LaGuardia Airfield, marking the world's first scheduled air cargo service

1945: American begins operating trans-Atlantic service for the first time with American Overseas Airlines

1946: American establishes its maintenance and engineering base in Tulsa, Oklahoma

1947: American introduces the fully pressurized Douglas DC-6, offering sleeper flights between New York and Los Angeles

1950s

1952: American introduces the Magnetronic Reservisor to keep track of seats available on flights

1953: American pioneers nonstop transcontinental service across the U.S. with the Douglas DC-7

1955: American opens its operation at ORD

1957: American opens the world's first special facility for flight attendant training — the American Airlines Stewardess College — in Fort Worth, Texas

Jan. 25, 1959: American launches the first scheduled transcontinental U.S. passenger jet service with the Boeing 707 from Los Angeles to New York Idlewild (now Kennedy)

American Airlines in the 1950s
American Airlines in the 1960s

1960s

1960: American opens its new terminal at JFK

1964: American adds the Boeing 727 to its fleet

December 1964: American hires David E. Harris, the first Black U.S. commercial airline pilot

1966: American launches The American Way inflight magazine

1968: The legendary C.R. Smith retires as Chief Executive, having run the airline for more than 30 years

1970s

January 1970: American merges with Trans Caribbean Airways, gaining new Caribbean routes

1977: American launches "Super Saver" fares, offering discounted fares when purchased in advance

1979: American moves its headquarters from New York City to the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area

American Airlines in the 1970s
American Airlines in the 1980s

1980s

1981: American establishes its first hub in Dallas-Fort Worth

1982: American opens its Chicago hub

1983: America West commences operations in Tempe, Arizona

1984: American introduces the American Eagle system

September 1989: American opens its hub in Miami

December 1989: American announces plans to expand its Latin American service with routes from Eastern Airlines

1990s

1991: American celebrates its one billionth customer

1999: oneworld alliance is launched by founding members American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines International, Cathay Pacific Airways and Qantas

American Airlines in the 1990s
American Airlines in the 2000s

2000s

January 2001: American announces plans to acquire the assets of Trans World Airlines (TWA)

Sept. 11, 2001: American tragically loses 23 people, including pilots, flight attendants and family members, in the events surrounding Flights 11 and 77

Sept. 27, 2005: US Airways merges with America West

2008: American introduces mobile boarding passes

2010s

2013: American merges with US Airways

May 2015: American flies its first revenue flight with the Boeing 787

August 2015: American's Robert W. Baker Integrated Operations Center opens in Fort Worth

2017: Air Transport World magazine names American its 2017 Airline of the Year

Sept. 4, 2019: American retires the last of its MD-80 aircraft after 36 years as the workhorse of the airline's fleet

Oct. 15, 2019: American celebrates 75 years of connecting the world through cargo operations

American Airlines in the 2010s
American Airlines in the 2020s

2020s

April 15, 2021: American celebrates its 95th birthday by helping to grant 95 wishes with a donation of 10 million AAdvantage® miles to Make-A-Wish

April 19, 2022: American becomes the first airline globally to receive validation from the Science Based Targets initiative for its 2035 greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets

February 2023: Air Transport World magazine names American its 2023 Eco-Airline of the Year

2026: American celebrates its centennial

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