American Airlines

American Airlines traces its origins to 1926 when a collection of small mail carriers were consolidated under Charles Lindbergh and later reorganized as American Airways in 1930. The airline was formally incorporated as American Airlines Inc. in 1934 under the leadership of C.R. Smith, who is widely regarded as the founding father of the modern American Airlines.

Under Smith, American became the first airline to introduce the Douglas DC-3, which revolutionized commercial aviation by making passenger air travel economically viable. In 1939, American launched the first transcontinental passenger air service in the United States. The 1950s and 1960s brought major expansion as American became one of the first airlines to operate pure jet aircraft, introducing the Boeing 707 in 1959. In 1981, American launched AAdvantage — the world's first modern frequent flyer program — which became the template for loyalty programs across the entire airline industry.

The 1990s saw American expand aggressively internationally, establishing its dominance at Dallas/Fort Worth and Miami as primary international gateways. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, American Airlines — which operated two of the four hijacked aircraft — faced severe financial pressure. The airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2011. In December 2013, American Airlines merged with US Airways to create the world's largest airline by passenger traffic, emerging from bankruptcy as the newly formed American Airlines Group.

The merged carrier retained the American Airlines brand and has since invested heavily in fleet modernization, cabin upgrades, and international network expansion.