Sustainable operations

Sustainable operations

American’s environmental sustainability efforts extend across our business, from how we design, build and operate our facilities to the materials we use in our inflight service and cargo operations.

Sourcing renewable energy

In 2019, we set a goal of sourcing 2.5 million gigajoules (GJs) of cost-competitive renewable energy to power our operations by 2025. We met that goal two years ahead of schedule. As part of this initiative, we purchased more than 679,000 GJs of electricity in 2024 from renewable sources for our operations in north Texas and at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). These facilities were 100% powered by renewable energy.

100% powered by renewable energy in our headquarters and DFW operations

Leveraging environmentally preferable alternatives in the cabin and cargo

Nearly all the pillows, duvets and blankets created for American flights are made with recycled fibers that offer a premium feel for our customers. In addition, we transitioned to a reusable zipper bag made of recycled fibers — instead of a plastic bag — for distributing pillows and blankets to customers in Flagship® First, Flagship® Business and Premium Economy. We expect this change to eliminate approximately 25 tons of single-use plastic waste per year, based on our usage in 2024. In our Cargo operations, use of BioNatur Plastics™ (opens in new tab) instead of traditional plastic stretch wrap and pallet covers helps American reduce long-term plastic waste in landfills. In 2024, American replaced more than 274,000 pounds of traditional plastic with the BioNatur line.

Green building
American Airlines headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas

Considering sustainability in building and airport lounge design

We have incorporated sustainability principles into the design and redesign of our facilities and lounges. Three of our buildings at American’s corporate headquarters have received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification. Additionally, several of our Admirals Club lounge locations are LEED Gold or LEED Silver certified.

We are also working to reduce the environmental impact of the products and services we offer in our Admirals Club lounges. This includes the expansion of compostable and reusable products.

Cloudy skies on a sunny day

Visit our Resource Center for links to numerous American Airlines documents, policies, webpages and other sources of information about our company’s approach on various sustainability topics.

Sustainability at American Airlines

Our annual sustainability report details American’s approach to managing our priority sustainability issues, along with highlights of our progress and performance during the year.
American Airlines