American Airlines, Inc., is a major American airline and one of the world’s largest airlines. American flies to destinations throughout North and South America, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe, and Asia. American is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas.
American Airlines was founded in 1930 as American Airways through the merger of more than 80 small airlines. The company’s name was changed to American Airlines, Inc., in 1934. American soon ranked as one of the largest airlines in the United States. American competed for passengers with its chief rival, United Airlines , as both airlines tried to offer better and faster service on larger and more comfortable planes.
American became the first airline to fly the DC-3 passenger plane in 1936. The DC-3 was considered the greatest airplane of its time. Its range and speed helped make air travel popular, and for the first time, it made passenger airlines profitable.
During World War II (1939-1945), half of American’s air fleet and crew were turned over to the military. The remaining fleet and personnel were left to handle a large increase in domestic air travel.
In 1957, American built the world’s first special facility for training flight attendants, the American Airlines Stewardess College (now the American Airlines Training and Conference Center), in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. American also pioneered the first exclusive passenger lounge and the first computer reservation system. In 1959, American provided the first transcontinental jet service, using Boeing 707’s.
In 2013, American became a much larger airline, following a merger with US Airways. The merger was completed as American emerged from a two-year bankruptcy protection program. American Airlines Group Inc. became the new parent company of the combined airlines.
As part of an agreement about the merger with the U.S. Department of Justice , American and US Airways were ordered to sell facilities at seven of the nation’s largest airports to allow low-cost airlines to increase their presence. The Justice Department and six U.S. states had filed an antitrust lawsuit to block the merger. The lawsuit had argued that the merger would hurt passengers by reducing competition, increasing airfares, and decreasing service.
