Tag Archives: American Airlines

American Airlines announces agreement to purchase Boom Supersonic Overture aircraft, places deposit on 20

American Airlines and Boom Supersonic today announced the airline’s agreement to purchase up to 20 Overture aircraft, with an option for an additional 40. American has paid a non-refundable deposit on the initial 20 aircraft. Overture is expected to carry passengers at twice the speed of today’s fastest commercial aircraft.

Boom Supersonic’s Overture would introduce an important new speed advantage to American’s fleet, which is currently the simplest, youngest and most efficient among U.S. network carriers. Under the terms of the agreement, Boom must meet industry-standard operating, performance and safety requirements as well as American’s other customary conditions before delivery of any Overtures.

Overture is being designed to carry 65 to 80 passengers at Mach 1.7 over water — or twice the speed of today’s fastest commercial aircraft — with a range of 4,250 nautical miles. Optimized for speed, safety and sustainability, Overture is also being designed to fly more than 600 routes around the world in as little as half the time. Flying from Miami to London in just under five hours and Los Angeles to Honolulu in three hours are among the many possibilities.

In July, Boom revealed the final production design of Overture, which is slated to roll out in 2025 and carry its first passengers by 2029.

American announces its Boeing 787-8 deliveries resume

American Airlines has made this announcement:

On August 10, 2022 American received its first Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft this year and its first since April 2021.

The aircraft, with U.S. registration number N880BJ, was delivered from Charleston, South Carolina, and is expected to enter commercial service in the coming weeks.

Including this delivery, American currently has 47 active 787 family aircraft in its fleet with an additional 42 on order. We appreciate the work done by the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing during the review process.

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American Airlines aircraft photo gallery (Boeing):

American reimagines its Admirals Clubs, DCA is the first

American Airlines made this announcement:

American Airlines is taking the ability to relax and unwind during travel to the next level through the redesign of its Admirals Club lounges across the United States. Customers will first experience the new look of the design at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) this fall. The club’s opening will signal the start of a reimagined premium Admirals Club design for the largest airline in the world.

Customers can access the Admirals Club lounge through their itinerary, select cobranded credit card, or their membership, which could be discounted depending on their AAdvantage® status.

Chicago-based DMAC Architecture & Interiors created a unique vision for American. When customers step inside, they will be welcomed by signature brand elements and references from local landscapes and landmarks that tell the story of each city and create a sense of place. Wellness will uniquely shine through selective design elements that set a tone of calm and familiarity. Sustainability is also built into the new design in intentional ways, such as branded elements made of renewable American walnut in every lounge.

“Our focus in working with American is to create a meaningful environment for guests to experience the airline’s inspirational brand and airport lounge in a fresh, new way,” comments Dwayne MacEwen, Founder and Principal of DMAC Architecture & Interiors. “Lounges will include a collection of thoughtfully designed memorable spaces, with opportunities for guests to engage, retreat and rejuvenate. The new design of the Admirals Club lounges offers a bespoke hospitality experience in which every detail is curated for guests to feel cared for at each touch point during their visit.”

Fireplace and natural wood bring the comfort of home into the DCA Admirals Club

Admirals Club lounges currently in the works include Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) and Denver International Airport (DEN), which will also feature the reimagined new design.

American invests in hydrogen-electric engine developer ZeroAvia

American Airlines today announced its investment in ZeroAvia, a leader in hydrogen-electric, zero-emission aviation. In addition to the investment, a memorandum of understanding provides American the opportunity to order up to 100 engines from ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric powertrain development program. The engines are intended to power regional jet aircraft with zero emissions.

“Our investment in ZeroAvia’s emerging hydrogen-electric engine technology has the potential to play a key role in the future of sustainable aviation,” said Derek Kerr, American’s Chief Financial Officer. “We are excited to contribute to this industry development and look forward to exploring how these engines can support the future of our airline as we build American Airlines to thrive forever.”

ZeroAvia is working to achieve certain type certifications of its innovative propulsion technology that will pave the way for the engines to be incorporated into the regional jet market in the future. The ZA2000-RJ powertrain is anticipated to enable passengers to fly in zero-emission regional jets as early as the late 2020s.

“Having support from the world’s largest airline is a strong indication of the progress we’re making on the development of hydrogen-electric, zero-emission flight,” added ZeroAvia Founder and CEO Val Miftakhov. “We are focused on delivering sustainable travel, and are delighted that American, a visionary leader in the industry, sees ZeroAvia as a part of the future of aviation.”

This investment showcases another action on American’s path to achieve its aggressive climate goals, including achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. In addition to the strategy and progress outlined in American’s recently published Environmental, Social and Governance Report, other recent sustainability efforts by the airline include:

Receiving the industry’s first-ever CORSIA-certified batch of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from Neste.
Reaching an agreement to purchase 500 million gallons of SAF over five years from Gevo, Inc., American’s most significant SAF commitment to date.
Becoming the first airline globally to receive validation from the Science Based Targets initiative for its 2035 GHG emissions reduction targets.

American Airlines pushing cancer research to new heights with fundraising campaign

American Airlines, in collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) and Emmy, Grammy and Golden Globe-nominated actress, singer and songwriter Mandy Moore, is launching its annual campaign to raise funds for innovative and life-saving cancer research.

Now through Sept. 30, customers will receive 25 bonus American Airlines AAdvantage® miles for every dollar they donate of $25 or more to Stand Up To Cancer.

Additionally, anyone who uses their American Airlines AAdvantage Mastercard® credit card to contribute between $25 and $10,000, will receive 50 bonus AAdvantage miles per dollar until we reach $1 million donations.

“The outpouring of support from our generous team members and customers has been remarkable in our six-year partnership with Stand Up To Cancer,” said American Airlines Chief Communications Officer Ron DeFeo. “That’s a testament to how passionate we are about Stand Up’s mission to save lives by funding research that has led to groundbreaking scientific breakthroughs in the fight against cancer. It’s a disease that has impacted so many of us and our loved ones.”

Since first joining forces in 2016, American has raised more than $11 million to benefit SU2C through fundraising efforts. In 2019, American debuted a campaign that offered those who donate the chance to honor a loved one by including their name on an Airbus A321 aircraft wrapped in a special SU2C livery.

“This year alone, nearly 2 million people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer,” said Rusty Robertson, Stand Up To Cancer Co-Founder. “Stand Up To Cancer is committed to funding innovative cancer research and dealing with health equity in cancer clinical trials to ensure treatments are accessible and beneficial to all patients. We are immensely grateful to American Airlines and their customers for their longstanding support and to Mandy Moore for her participation in this campaign. Together, we can and will end this terrible disease.”

SU2C brings together the best and the brightest in the cancer community to help new therapies move from the laboratory to the patient quickly. By galvanizing the entertainment community, SU2C creates awareness and educates the public on cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment and raises funds to support these efforts.

DONATE AND GET MILES! Get on board with @TheMandyMoore, @AmericanAir and #StandUpToCancer. To learn about how you can support groundbreaking cancer research and get American Airlines AAdvantage® miles, go to https://t.co/onZXG4CpiI. T&Cs apply. pic.twitter.com/Ll4bhuC5y6

— Stand Up To Cancer (@SU2C) August 1, 2022

“I have supported Stand Up To Cancer since its inception and it has been truly amazing to see scientists, patients, actors, musicians and athletes all come together for one common cause — the fight against cancer,” said Mandy Moore. “To do this in partnership with them and American Airlines, a company so close to my heart, is truly a full circle moment. For many, cancer is a part of life’s journey, and through this campaign, I hope we can raise awareness for Stand Up To Cancer’s groundbreaking cancer research programs, while inspiring cancer survivors, patients and those caring for a loved one facing the disease.”

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American Airlines aircraft photo gallery (Airbus):

American furthers its commitment to Sustainable Aviation Fuel

American Airlines has announced it has finalized an agreement with biofuel company Gevo, Inc. for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Over five years, American has committed to purchasing 500 million gallons of SAF, the most significant SAF offtake commitment to date for the carrier.

American’s Gevo agreement was developed alongside others in the oneworld® alliance. In September 2020, oneworld became the first global airline alliance to announce a target of carbon neutrality by 2050, establishing its commitment to long-term sustainability for the industry. The alliance followed up that commitment with an intermediate goal to achieve 10% SAF use across the member airlines by 2030.

The agreement brings American’s total low-carbon fuel commitments to more than 620 million gallons — fulfilling roughly 20% of the airline’s goal to replace 10% of jet fuel usage with SAF by 2030. The SAF deliveries are expected to begin in 2026 from future commercial operations of Gevo.

American’s aggressive climate goals include achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050. That includes becoming the first airline globally to receive validation from the Science Based Targets initiative for its 2035 GHG emissions reduction targets. In 2021, American received a CDP Climate Change score of “A-” — the highest score among airlines in North America, and one of only two airlines globally to score that high. The company’s most recent ESG Report further details its forward-looking goals for the coming years and its progress to date.

American aircraft photo gallery (Airbus):

American Airlines Group reports second quarter net income of $476 million

American Airlines Group Inc. today reported its second-quarter 2022 financial results, including:

Second-quarter net income of $476 million, or $0.68 per diluted share. Excluding net special items¹, second-quarter net income of $533 million, or $0.76 per diluted share.
Record second-quarter revenue of $13.4 billion, which represents a 12.2% increase over the same period in 2019, despite flying 8.5% less capacity.
Ended the second quarter with $15.6 billion of total available liquidity.
Company continues to execute on its plan to pay down approximately $15 billion of total debt² by the end of 2025.

“We are very pleased to report a quarterly profit, excluding net special items, for the first time since the start of the pandemic, driven by the strong demand environment and the hard work of our team,” said American’s CEO Robert Isom. “The American Airlines team has stepped up to meet the surge in demand for air travel while running a reliable operation in very challenging conditions. We are encouraged by the trends we’re seeing across the business, and we remain well-positioned for the continued recovery.”

Running a reliable operation

In the second quarter, American flew a schedule that was more than 25% larger than its closest competitor as measured by total departures. American and its regional partners operated more than 500,000 flights in the quarter, an 8% increase over the second quarter of 2021, with an average load factor of 87%, which is 10 points higher than the second quarter of 2021. Despite a challenging operating environment in June, American’s on-time departure rate, on-time arrival rate and completion factor for the second quarter of 2022 were each improved versus the second quarter of 2019.

American is proud to offer customers the youngest fleet among U.S. network carriers and the largest network of any U.S. airline, with an expected average of more than 5,400 daily departures for the remainder of the summer.

Returning to profitability

American produced revenues of $13.4 billion in the second quarter, a 12.2% increase versus 2019 and a record for any quarter in company history. This record revenue was achieved while flying 8.5% less capacity than the same period in 2019, and there remains significant revenue potential going forward to the extent business and international travel improve further.

Domestic leisure travel remains very strong and surpassed 2019 levels in the second quarter and American also saw improvements in corporate and government revenue in the quarter. Demand for international travel also improved steadily during the second quarter and the company expects this to continue following the lifting of the COVID-19 testing requirement for inbound travel to the U.S.

Liquidity and balance sheet

American ended the second quarter with $15.6 billion of total available liquidity. Total debt reduction continues to be a top priority and the company remains on track to reduce overall debt levels by $15 billion by the end of 2025.

In the second quarter, the company made $1.0 billion in scheduled debt and finance lease payments, including paying off the remaining $433 million outstanding balance of its $750 million unsecured senior notes that matured in June. To date, American has reduced its overall debt by $5.2 billion from peak levels in the second quarter of 2021.

Guidance and investor update

American will continue to match its forward capacity with the resources required to support its operation. Based on current trends, the company expects its third-quarter total revenue to be 10% to 12% higher versus the third quarter of 2019 on 8% to 10% lower capacity. Based on these demand trends and the current fuel price forecast, the company expects to be profitable in the third quarter.

Notes

See the accompanying notes in the financial tables section of this press release for further explanation, including a reconciliation of all GAAP to non-GAAP financial information.

¹ The company recognized $84 million of pre-tax net special items in the second quarter of 2022, which principally included mark-to-market net unrealized losses associated with certain equity investments.

² Total debt includes debt, finance leases, operating lease liability and pension obligations.

Top Copyright Photo: American Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner N832AA (msn 40638) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 958263.

American Airlines aircraft photo gallery (Boeing):

American Airlines publishes its 2021 Environmental, Social and Governance Report

American Airlines Group Inc. issued its 2021 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report on July 11, providing updates on the company’s strategy and progress across key issues over the year. The report affirms American’s focus on the issues most important to its business and stakeholders, including climate change; diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI); customer and team member safety; and customer service.

“As the world continues to emerge from the pandemic and reconnect, American Airlines is committed to living our purpose to care for people on life’s journey,” American’s CEO Robert Isom said. “Our environmental, social and governance efforts are key to American’s success today and critical to building a resilient airline that will thrive forever.”

American’s aggressive climate goals include achieving net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, and the report demonstrates that the company has developed a transparent and credible plan to meet this goal. That includes becoming the first airline globally to receive validation from the Science Based Targets initiative for its intermediate GHG emissions reduction targets and being the only U.S. airline to report using more than 1 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel in 2021. The report also includes a detailed discussion of American’s risks and opportunities related to climate change, as recommended by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.

American continues to work toward improving diverse representation across the company, meeting or exceeding its 2021 targets for Black representation, and setting new goals for 2022. The company is also making strides in increasing pilot diversity, with 25% of pilots hired by American in 2021 self-identifying as people of color. In addition, as part of its strategy to embed DEI throughout the organization, American also became the first airline — and one of only a handful of large U.S. companies — to receive Fair Pay Workplace’s inaugural pay equity certification. The company also continues to have an uncompromising commitment to customer and team member safety.

As a result of these and other efforts detailed in the report, American was included in the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index for the first time in 2021 — the only passenger airline to be included.

American’s full ESG report is available at aa.com/esg.

American Airlines announces pilot cadet scholarship in honor of Elise Eberwein

American Airlines has announced the creation of the Elise Eberwein American Airlines Pilot Scholarship, a $1 million commitment over the next 10 years to further the airline’s extensive efforts to increase and diversify the pilot ranks.

The scholarship launches later this year and honors Eberwein, American’s Executive Vice President of People and Global Engagement, who retires at the end of the month. Eberwein began her airline career as a flight attendant and spent the next 35 years advocating for team members, creating a people-first culture, and driving forward-looking programs to make American a premier place to work.

“Not only was Elise the driver to define our mission to care for people on life’s journey, she embodies that work every day,” American CEO Robert Isom said. “She advocates tirelessly for our team, especially those whose voices may be less likely to be heard, and works to create career pathways for all. Elise’s leadership has helped us look not only at who we are today, but who we want to be tomorrow. Launching this scholarship as we recruit the next generation of aviators is the perfect way to honor her passion for people and progress.”

The scholarship will annually award two candidates with $50,000 each to put toward the costs of pilot training through the American Airlines Cadet Academy. Designed to support those candidates with demonstrated financial need or those who may not have ready access to careers in aviation, this scholarship further enhances American’s commitment to strengthen and diversify the flight deck, as well as support the airline’s robust recruitment efforts.

American aircraft photo gallery (Boeing):

American Airlines launches mobile ID with TSA PreCheck®

American Airlines made this announcement:

Travelers can now enjoy a more convenient travel verification experience through facial recognition

No more fumbling for an ID or a boarding pass, American Airlines Mobile ID unlocks a more seamless and touchless travel experience.
Customers can create their secure American Airlines Mobile ID with TSA PreCheck® membership, AAdvantage® number, plus either a driver’s license or U.S. passport for a streamlined security experience.
The option to use either a driver’s license or passport provides broad accessibility for travelers to experience the next milestone in easy travel.

American Airlines customers with TSA PreCheck® can now breeze through the airport with just their phone and their face, thanks to a collaboration with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and American to test mobile identification.

Starting on June 22 at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), American Airlines AAdvantage® members who are enrolled in TSA PreCheck may choose to use their American Airlines Mobile ID at select TSA PreCheck checkpoints to have their identity verified. The experience is now available at every TSA PreCheck location at DFW, with plans to deploy at select TSA PreCheck checkpoints at Miami International Airport (MIA), Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) and more later this year.

Seamless security

Creating and storing the American Airlines Mobile ID is simple. Before travel, American Airlines customers with TSA PreCheck who choose to participate in this program need to:

Download the Airside Digital Identity App on an iOS or Android device
Take a photo of their face
Scan their driver’s license or passport with the app*
Enter their American Airlines AAdvantage number

The app then:

Verifies the customers’ information using mobile ID technology powered by Thales to compare against each state’s Department of Motor Vehicles records or the passport’s embedded NFC chip.
Securely stores the customer’s American Airlines Mobile ID on their mobile device until they choose where and when to share it.

As they go through security, customers simply present a QR code on their phone and consent to share their American Airlines Mobile ID with TSA. After sharing their Mobile ID, customers look into a camera at the TSA PreCheck checkpoint. TSA’s computer system then matches the customer’s encrypted image against their American Airlines Mobile ID. The entire process at the airport typically takes less than five seconds.

Once verified, TSA erases the encrypted digital ID from its checkpoint readers and customers retain their digital ID on their device until they are ready to use it at another waypoint, such as an airport lounge.

Expanding innovation

This launch was informed by prior digital ID trials that American introduced in 2021 for touchless bag drop and Admirals Club entry at DFW. American customers participating in these trials have the option to use facial recognition technology instead of presenting a government-issued ID, boarding pass or cobranded credit card to check their bag or enter the lounge. Because either a passport or driver’s license are accepted, this trial provides broad accessibility for travelers to experience this next milestone in easy travel, and offers a scalable solution for future domestic security touchpoints.

In the future, American will roll out similar technology to additional kiosks, bag check and domestic boarding gates. American customers can already verify their identities through facial matching provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at several international boarding gates today.

*Drivers licenses from states that are part of the AAMVA DLDV program and U.S. passports are eligible.