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 โ then called stewardesses โ 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 โ later US Airways โ is founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
June 1939: American begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
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 โ the American Airlines Stewardess College โ 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)
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
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
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
2020s
April 15, 2021: American celebrates its 95th birthday by helping to grant 95 wishes with a donation of 10 million AAdvantageยฎ 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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