Tag Archives: US Airways

US Airways puts its first American branded Airbus A330 into revenue service

US Airways (American Airlines Group) (Phoenix and Dallas/Fort Worth) has painted its first Airbus A330 in the American Airlines‘ 2013 livery. Airbus A330-323 N270AY (msn 315) was painted at Amarillo, Texas and was delivered to the Philadelphia hub on September 18, 2014. The first revenue service was from Philadelphia (PHL) to London (Heathrow) on September 19 followed by Venice on September 20.

The aircraft operated to Dublin, Ireland on September 21 arriving the next day. Today N270AY is pictured departing from Dublin for the return journey back to Philadelphia.

US Airways next will repaint the PSA heritage Airbus A319 with American titles.

American Airlines-US Airways:

American Airlines (current):

US Airways:

American Airlines and US Airways Passenger Service Agents vote to join the Teamsters-CWA Association

American Airlines‘ (Dallas/Fort Worth) and US Airways‘ (Phoenix and Dallas/Fort Worth) passenger service agents have voted to join the CWA-IBT Customer Service Employee Association. This is another step towards the final merger. The union issued this statement:

In a vote announced today by the National Mediation Board (NMB), more than 15,000 passenger service professionals at the newly-merged American-US Airways have voted to join the CWA-IBT Customer Service Employee Association. The joint effort to organize passenger service agents was led by Communication Workers of American (CWA) which will represent about 7,500 new members; 1,300 new members will be represented by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Agents at both airlines voted over the phone and online in a month-long election administered by the NMB. The results were tallied and it was announced today that the workers had voted for the CWA-IBT Association by a 6-to-1 margin.

“We are honored to represent a total of more than 3,000 passenger service agents at the New American Airlines,” said Teamsters Airline Division Director David Bourne. “The Teamsters are committed to providing American Airlines employees and our existing members at US Airways with strong representation as both airlines continue to integrate in this merger.”

Prior to its merger with American Airlines, US Airways’ passenger service agents were represented by CWA in the east with approximately 4,700 members and by the Teamsters in the west with about 1,800 members. The shared representation was the result of US Airways’ merger in 2005 with America West Airlines whose customer service agents were Teamsters. US Airways’ latest merger with American Airlines, whose agents were nonunion, led to an election to determine representation for all agents at the newly-merged carrier.

“With our partners in CWA, the Teamsters are leading the way in protecting airline professionals involved in the biggest airline merger in history,” said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa. “Our union is dedicated to fighting on behalf of workers in this volatile industry. Our new members at the combined American-US Airways now have two of the strongest airline unions in their corner.”

American Airlines agents who have won representation for the first time are concerned about outsourcing, job security, fair work rules and having a strong contract. The agents know from experience how vulnerable they are without representation. American’s 2011 bankruptcy led to layoffs, outsourced job titles, and sharp cuts in pay and benefits for those who kept their jobs.

“I can’t tell you how great this victory is for us,” said Debra Ewing, a 15-year US Airways agent in Phoenix, Arizona. “American Airlines customer service agents have tried for over 20 years to gain representation and the merger with US Airways allowed the Teamsters to step in and bring home a win. This means an end to so much outsourcing for American agents who will regain profit-sharing, shift differentials, a three-tiered medical plan, paid vacation and more. That’s what union representation is – and now we all have it.”

Agents at US Airways have enjoyed strong representation for years and are looking forward to having an even stronger voice in the merger process with 9,000 new agents at American strengthening their association.

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. US Airways Airbus A319-112 N701UW (msn 890) departs from Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) painted in American Airlines 2013 colors.

American Airlines (current):

American Airlines-US Airways:

US Airways:

American Airlines and US Airways to combine cargo operations on October 20

American Airlines Group (American Airlines and US Airways) (Dallas/Fort Worth) are merging its cargo operations on October 20. The Group has issued this letter to its cargo customers:

Dear Cargo Customer

Nine months ago, the merger between American Airlines and US Airways became official. Since then, we have dedicated ourselves to restoring American as the greatest airline in the world. The cargo team has been working hard to plan for a seamless transition and I thank you for your patience and loyalty during this time.

The objective of our integration has been to bring together the expertise, solutions, and teams you’ve relied on from both cargo organizations into the industry’s most customer-focused airfreight partner. I am proud to share with you that on Monday, October 20, 2014, we will take the largest step toward this goal by becoming one cargo organization and transitioning to a single air waybill using the American Airlines prefix 001.

While you will be seeing more information over the next few weeks, I’d like to share the following important details now:

We will transition to accepting a single air waybill (001) for all new shipments originating on or after October 20.

All American Airlines and US Airways booking channels will still be available to you, including our customer contact centers and aacargo.com, and will allow you to book 001 air waybills across both networks for flights on October 20th and beyond.

For shipments originating between now and October 19, please continue to use US Airways (037) and American Airlines (001) air waybills when booking, tendering, and recovering shipments with each respective airline.

The combination of our networks is only the beginning of many exciting changes built around your needs. With initiatives like e-freight, a new state-of-the-art pharmaceutical facility in Philadelphia, and 70 new widebody and hundreds of narrowbody aircraft on the way, we are modernizing the cargo business with you in mind.

Our most important goal is to ensure a smooth experience for you and your extended team. In the coming weeks, you will receive more details about what this transition means and how you can best take advantage of the benefits. You can also find the latest updates any time on aacargo.com.

Thank you again for your business and we look forward to partnering with you as one cargo team very soon.

Sincerely

Jim W. Butler
President, American Airlines Cargo

Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A319-112 N700UW (msn 885) of US Airways operating in American colors arrives in Washington at Reagan National Airport (DCA).

American Airlines (current):

American Airlines-US Airways:

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American-US Airways pilots agree on a protocol for pilot seniority integration, will it lead to a final list?

U.S. Airline Pilots Association (USAPA), representing the pilots of US Airways (Phoenix and Dallas/Fort Worth) (and the pilots of the former America West Airlines) (Phoenix), stated it has reached a tentative agreement on a protocol with the Allied Pilots Association (APA), the union representing the pilots of American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth). The tentative agreement lays out a process for the seniority integration of the two pilot groups according to The Street.

However according to article by Forbes, the previous bitter split between US Airways (East) pilots and America West (West) pilots at US Airways, could reemerge as work continues on a final seniority list. Will the new American Airlines inherit the seven-year old US Airways-America West pilot dispute? Forbes explores this question.

Read the full interesting article: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. Freshly repainted with new American titles, US Airways’ Airbus A319-132 N838AW (msn 2615) painted in America West’s 2005 heritage livery, taxies to the gate at the Charlotte hub. N838AW symbolizes this hot button issue better than any other AA-US aircraft.

American Airlines (current):

American Airlines-US Airways:

US Airways:

America West Airlines:

American and Orbitz make up, all is good again

Orbitz Worldwide has announced that it had reached an agreement with American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) to continue to offer American Airlines and US Airways flights on all of its sites. Consumers should see all available flights immediately. All tickets previously purchased on Orbitz Worldwide sites remain valid.

“We are pleased that our long-standing relationship with American Airlines allowed us to quickly resolve business matters and that we continue to offer a broad range of options, including American Airlines
and US Airways flights, to the millions of shoppers who book travel on our global sites each day,” said Sam Fulton, president of Orbitz.com.

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 777-323 ER N723AN (msn 33125) of American Airlines completes its final approach to the runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

American Airlines (current):

Jay Selman’s An Inside Look: Farewell to 406

Guest Editor Jay Selman

Farewell to 406

by Guest Editor Jay Selman

In over 50 years, I have lost count of how many airplane flights I have taken. I’ve flown on airliners, military airplanes, corporate jets, private aircraft, and helicopters. I’ve flown in just about every airliner from the Comet to the Concorde. I’ve flown from Greensboro, North Carolina to Winston-Salem, a 7-minute (maybe) hop, and I’ve flown from New York to Hong Kong. I’m saying this to say that I have taken some memorable flights, but the vast majority of the airplanes I’ve flown in don’t stick in my mind.

One flight that I do vividly remember occurred on September 15, 1988, when I flew on N406US (man 23876), from Boeing Field in Seattle to Greensboro, North Carolina. 406 was a Piedmont Airlines Boeing 737-401, just one of well over 12,000 737s that have been built or are on order. What made it special was the fact that it was the first 737-400 in the world to be delivered to a customer, and I was privileged to be on that delivery flight, 26 years ago.

Copyright Photo: Jim “Jet” Thompson. Boeing 737-401 N406US is towed out at Boeing Field on a cloudy Seattle day with a special “First Boeing 737-400” banner.

Piedmont was one of the early operators of the 737-300, a vastly-upgraded version of the venerable 737-200. Powered by a pair of CFM-56 engines, the 737-300 represented a tremendous advantage in terms of economy, power, and lowered noise levels inside and outside the cabin. The -300 was an immediate hit with airlines and passengers. A year after the first -300 entered service, Boeing offered the -400, featuring a 10-foot fuselage stretch over the -300. Needing a replacement for its fleet of aging 727-200s, Piedmont became the launch customer for the -400, with an initial order for 25. In 1987, USAir announced that it had reached an agreement to acquire Piedmont. 20 737-400s of Piedmont’s original order were delivered, and USAir ordered an additional 35 of the type and, in all, the company eventually operated 55 737-400s.

By the time that 406, named the Thomas H Davis Pacemaker in honor of the founder of Piedmont Airlines, was ready to leave her nest in Seattle, Piedmont was heading toward a merger with USAir, and she was delivered in a hybrid color scheme of a bare metal fuselage and a Piedmont blue cheat line. As a useless bit of trivia, only four Piedmont 737-400s were delivered with a blue stripe: 406, 407, 408, and 409. The rest came on property with the red USAir cheat line.

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. N406US wears the Piedmont metal transition livery as it lands in Charlotte.

Boeing did a nice job of catering the first-ever delivery of a -400, and there was cause for celebration. It was, indeed, an historic event. Yet, the mood among most of the Piedmont people was a bit subdued, as reality set in that the company we loved was on its way toward non-existence. William Howard had recently stepped down as President and CEO of Piedmont, and his replacement, Tom Schick, was onboard, along with a number of other airline dignitaries, most of whom were, for all practical purposes, in a lame-duck environment. 406 was even delivered with a USAir registration, rather than its originally-allocated N404P. While it was still an historic and exciting moment, there was not complete joy.

For me, the highlight of the entire flight was after we landed in Greensboro. As we came to a stop, I looked out the window and saw Piedmont founder Tom Davis himself standing at the bottom of the airstairs. Not only was he a legend, but also a true gentleman. He also had a gift for remembering faces and names, and as I reached the bottom of the steps, he shook my hand and, without hesitation, told me, “Jay, I expect to see some good pictures of our new plane from you.” (He got some!)

On August 5, 1989, Piedmont Airlines ceased to exist, as everything Piedmont became USAir. Altogether, USAir operated 55 out of the 482 737-400s that Boeing built. Still, I always found myself smiling when I would see 406. I knew she was special. Fast forward 25 years. Years ago, under the leadership of Stephen Wolfe and Rakesh Gangwal, US Airways (as the company had since rebranded itself) elected to hitch its wagon to the Airbus narrow-body product. Slowly but surely, 737s were being replaced with a mix of Airbus A319s, A320s, and A321s.

During her time in service with Piedmont/USAir/US Airways, 406 served the company well. She was not involved with any significant incidents, although the number of patches on the fuselage suggests there may have been more than a couple of minor issues throughout her life. She did suffer some minor damage when a loading bridge came in contact with the pitot tubes and angle-of-attack indicator located just in front of the forward entry door. This was not an uncommon problem with the 737 Classics, and a loading bridge operator always has to take extra care with these model 737s. Altogether, seven different engines hung on each wing of 406, and a total of 17 auxiliary power units (APUs) were installed in the tail of 406, and over its lifetime, she underwent many B-Checks and C-Checks. These numbers are fairly consistent with the average maintenance activities of a 737 of this age. For the record, 406 was the first 737-400 to wear the final US Airways color scheme.

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. A nice flying portrait of N406US in the final (2005) US Airways color scheme.

Her last revenue flight occurred on August 1, when she arrived from Pittsburgh at Charlotte. Maintenance personnel worked on her for three days, getting 406 ready for her last flight. Finally, early in the morning of August 5, 25 years to the day of the Piedmont/USAir merger, 406 was ready for her last flight as a US Airways-operated trip.

I met Captains Gene Thomas and Doug Christen, who were going to do the honors of flying “Cactus 9240” from Charlotte to Tucson, Arizona. Each of them had several thousand hours in the 737, and although both of them had plenty of seniority to hold positions on the company’s “big iron”, they elected to stay on the 737 until the very end because of their love of the aircraft. Captain Thomas retired shortly after ferrying 406 to Tucson, and Captain Christen has moved on to the Boeing 757/767. They both praised the 737 as being a real “pilot’s airplane”, and will miss flying them. They were both struck by the historic significance of both aircraft 406 and the date, August 5.

As the pilots cranked the engines, it felt a little strange sitting in Row 2 of an empty airplane. Brakes were released at 9:20 am local, and Captain Thomas guided 406 to the end of Runway 36C at Charlotte. A few minutes later, Cactus 9240 was given takeoff clearance. With no passengers or cargo onboard, we were airborne in around 3000 feet at 9:27 am. 406’s final flight had begun.

Since this flight was operated under Part 91 rules, the pilots were permitted to leave the door of the flight deck open, and I was able to enjoy a view not only of the cockpit, but the world beyond the cockpit windows. The pilots were kind enough to take time to explain to me a lot about what goes on behind those perpetually-closed doors. They both talked about their love for the 737. Along with both of them agreeing that it is a plane that pilots fly, rather than program, they both commented on the robustness of the 737 airframe. As one of them noted, “Quite a few of our old 737s have been converted to cargo carriers, and will continue to fly for quite a few years. How many A320s have been converted to freight dogs?”

Unlike the nicely-catered delivery flight 26 years ago, I sat alone in 406’s cabin, eating a Jersey Mike’s sub that I brought along, and drinking a bottle of water that catering left onboard after stripping the interior of any equipment that could be used on other aircraft. It gave me a chance to wander around this historic airplane and savor this one last flight in her. Truth be told, I was probably one of handful of people who really appreciated the significance of 406, but that’s okay. I was given the chance to fly on her this one last time. I am not one who keeps a log of all the planes I have flown in, but I do know that I’d flown in 406 at least a dozen times over the years.

Captain Thomas said that during her final flight, 406 performed flawlessly. She did not produce a single squawk during the flight, and every flight parameter was met or exceeded. Sooner than I would have wanted, we began our descent into Tucson, where we followed an Air Force KC-135 on visual approach to Runway 11L. Captain Thomas greased the lightly-laden 406 onto the runway at 10:09 am local time, and we then taxied back to the facilities of Ascent Aviation Services. Ascent is a premiere narrow body maintenance and storage center located at Tucson International Airport. Several ex-US Airways 737s are stored there, where they will either be readied for a new operator, or broken up and sold for parts. The fate of 406 is uncertain as of this writing. Captain Christen said that typically, a plane will sit for two or three months as their owners look for another operator. After a certain point, it will be scrapped. I would certainly like to see her fly again, as she has plenty of life left in her, but the fate of 406 has yet to be determined as of this writing.

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. Aircraft in storage at Ascent Aviation Services in Tucson awaiting their fates.

At 10:15 am, Captain Thomas shut down the engines of 406 for the last time as a US Airways flight. Over nearly 26 years, she had accumulated 69967.4 total flight hours, and 47032 cycles. We climbed down the airstairs, and posed for a couple of final pictures. And that was it. The Ascent technicians hooked 406 up to a tug and towed her to a spot in between two other 737s awaiting their fates. I took one last photo of an historic plane, and a special airliner to me, and then I hopped into a truck to take me to the terminal for my flights home. This had been one flight I won’t forget.

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. N406US is pushed into its storage spot at Tucson (TUS) next to a Solaseed Air Boeing 737-400 which was just retired.

Boeing 737 Slide Show:

US Airways:

Jay Selman’s Inside Look: US Airways operates the last Boeing 737 Classic revenue flight

Guest Editor Jay Selman

An Inside Look: The End of a Classic Era

by Jay Selman

When I was hired by Piedmont Airlines (Winston-Salem) in 1981, the Boeing 737 reigned supreme. We were taking delivery of brand new Boeing 737-200s, and oh how I loved those birds. They were short and fat, and NOISY in an era when noise was still acceptable! In the early days of my airline career, I was on an airplane virtually every weekend. Those were the days when an airline could make money with a 50% load factor, and on those rare occasions when a flight did fill up, there was usually room in the cockpit for a company employee. I’d venture to say that 95% of my flights during the first 10 years of my career were in 737s.

Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-201 N736N (msn 19420) of Piedmont waits for its next assignment at Atlanta. The -200 is painted in the original 1974 livery.

By 1985, the 737-300 had joined the Piedmont fleet. Although it still had the 737 designation, it seemed to be a whole new animal. Those CFM-56 engines were massive compared to the JT-8Ds on the -200s, and the 737-300 promised significant increases in payload and range, as well as significant reductions in fuel burn. Oh yes, and they were QUIET. In fact, a common complaint among crewmembers flying the -300 was that they had to lower their voices so that passengers would not join in their conversations. The cockpits of Piedmont’s -300s still had the old “steam gauges” but they also had greatly improved avionics, and even a lovely feature called “Autoland”, which the company was never actually certified to use.

Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-301 N307P (msn 23259) of Piedmont wears the updated white top 1974 color scheme.

Piedmont was the launch customer for the Boeing 737-400, essentially a stretched -300, and in September, 1988, I had the good fortune to fly on the delivery flight of N406US, the first 737-400 in the world to be delivered by Boeing.

Copyright Photo: Nigel P. Chalcraft/AirlinersGallery.com. The first delivered -400, Boeing 737-401 N406US (msn 23876) taxies at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood in the bare metal 1988 livery.

At one time, Piedmont was able to claim the title of the world’s largest operator of the Boeing 737. No wonder I had a love affair with the Seven Three throughout my career in the airline industry.

In 1989, Piedmont and USAir merged and I was now working for USAir. The merger brought a large number of different aircraft types to my company, but I still loved the 737.

Copyright Photo: Christian Volpati Collection/AirlinersGallery.com. Suddenly the Piedmont name and brand were going way. USAir later gave way to US Airways as a brand.

Then in 1997, USAir CEO Steven Wolf shocked the aviation community by announcing an order for up to 400 narrow-body Airbus aircraft. Ultimately, this would reduce the composition of the company’s narrow-body fleet to one basic type (the A319, A320, and A321 are all the same basic airplane).

The handwriting was on the wall for the USAir (later US Airways) 737s…in fact, all of the narrow body aircraft operated by USAir. With respect to the 737s, the dwindling fleet of 737-200s was parked following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, while the last of the -300s was retired in 2013. Finally, on August 19, 2014, N435US operated the final flight of a US Airways 737, appropriately designated as flight US 737.

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. There are now no longer any US Airways 737 Classics operating out of the Charlotte hub. N406US landed at CLT with 43515 cycles and approximately 65405.45 hours. The airliner was a trusted performer for the carrier and has now been retired to the desert.

“Cactus 737”, its ATC callsign, flew from Charlotte to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Philadelphia and back to Charlotte on August 19, and I was able to fly all three legs on it. US Airways elected to keep the event low-key, since, after all, the “new American Airlines” is currently operating over 230 Next-Generation 737-800s, and will eventually own a fleet of over 300 of the type. But what made the trip special for me was the fact that the pilot in command, Captain Jeff Tarr, was also flying his last trip as an airline pilot.

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. The end of an era. N435US sits at the gate, unlikely to carry passengers again.

When Cactus 737 pulled into Gate D7 at 9:48 pm at CLT, there was no real fanfare for the airplane, but there was plenty of recognition for Captain Tarr.

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. Pictured in the cockpit of N435US is Captain Jeff Tarr (left) and F/O Robert Channell (right). This also was Jeff’s retirement flight.

And, after all, that is the way it should be. Too often, an airline is defined by its aircraft, or its color scheme, or its catch phrase. But what should REALLY define an airline is it’s employees. For most of us who have been in this industry for any length of time, it’s more than a job…it’s a way of life. Most of us who have been here for awhile began working in the days when we were envied for our status as airline employees. We remember hearing, “You have one of the best jobs in the world,” rather than, “I wouldn’t have your job for anything in the world.” An airline is about people, and not just airplanes.  Having said that, the Boeing 737 has been part of the airline I work for during my entire 33-year career. Admittedly, the Airbus offers many advantages to the passenger than the old 737 Classic. And, of course, once the merger is complete, I will, again, be working for a company that will be operating 300+ Next-Generation 737s.

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. The proud crew of flight US 737 that operated the flight from DFW to PHL and finally to CLT.

In my personal opinion, an Airbus simply cannot compare to a Boeing in terms of useful life and ruggedness. Why do I say this? Just consider this fact. There are still plenty of 737s around with 30+ years on their airframes. Many still haul passengers, while countless others have been converted to freight dogs. I have no idea how many 737s have been converted to cargo carriers, but I can tell you exactly how many A320s have been.  So, vive la 737. You’ve given me a great ride.

Piedmont Airlines (1st):

USAir:

US Airways:

American to launch new American Eagle routes from Philadelphia and Dallas/Fort Worth

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) will start daily American Eagle service from its (US Airways) hub to both Jacksonville, FL and New Orleans on September 26. The routes will be operated by Embraer 175 aircraft operated by Republic Airlines (2nd) according to Airline Route.

In addition, American Eagle (operated by ExpressJet Airlines CRJ200s) will launch new daily service from the Dallas/Fort Worth hub to Meridian and Laurel, Mississippi.

Finally American will suspend service on three European routes this winter (resuming next summer): Chicago (“hare)-Dusseldorf, Chicago (O’Hare)-Manchester and New York (JFK)-Dublin per Airline Route.

Copyright Photo: Tony Storck/AirlinersGallery.com. Operated by Republic Airlines, Embraer ERJ 170-200LR (ERJ 175) N426YX (msn 17000397) taxies at Baltimore/Washington.

American Airlines (current):

American Eagle-Republic (2nd):

American and US Airways to end first class meals for flights under 3 hours

American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) and US Airways (Phoenix and Dallas/Fort Worth) (American Airlines Group) are ending meal service for its first class passengers for flights under three hours according to Bloomberg Businessweek. Snacks only “service” will start on September 1.

Read the full article: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-823 N801NN (msn 29565) approaches the runway at New York (JFK).

American Airlines (current livery):

US Airways:

American Airlines Group reports a record second quarter net profit of $864 million

American Airlines Group Inc. (American Airlines and US Airways) today reported its second quarter 2014 results:

Second quarter 2014 non-GAAP net profit excluding net special charges was $1.5 billion, a record for any quarter in the history of American Airlines

Second quarter 2014 GAAP net profit was a record $864 million

The Company also announced a capital deployment program, including over $2.8 billion in debt and aircraft lease prepayments, a $1 billion share repurchase program, the initiation of a quarterly cash dividend, and $600 million of additional pension contributions

As part of the program, American’s Board of Directors declared a dividend of $0.10 per share for shareholders of record as of August 4, 2014. The cash dividend is the first declared by American since 1980

For the second quarter 2014, American Airlines Group reported a record GAAP net profit of $864 million. This compares to a GAAP net profit of $220 million in the second quarter 2013, for AMR Corporation prior to the merger. The Company believes it is more meaningful to compare year-over-year results for American Airlines and US Airways excluding special charges and on a combined basis, which is a non-GAAP formulation that combines the results for AMR Corporation and US Airways Group.

On this basis, second quarter 2014 net profit excluding net special charges was $1.5 billion, a record for any quarter in the history of the Company. This represents a 114 percent improvement over the combined non-GAAP net profit of $681 million excluding net special charges for the same period in 2013. See the accompanying notes in the Financial Tables section of this press release for further explanation of this presentation, including a reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP financial information.

“We are very pleased to report the highest quarterly profit in the history of American Airlines,” said Chairman and CEO Doug Parker. “Our merger is off to a great start and our 100,000 team members are doing a wonderful job working together to take care of our customers.

“We are also pleased to announce a capital deployment program that reduces our debt, provides additional pension contributions and returns capital to shareholders. The fact that we are able to implement this program while still funding our significant product improvements, fleet renewal program and integration costs is further evidence of the success of our merger. We have much hard work ahead, but we are extremely encouraged by the great work being done by our team members.”

Revenue and Cost Comparisons

Total revenues in the second quarter were a record $11.4 billion, up 10.2 percent versus the second quarter 2013 on a combined basis, on a 3.1 percent increase in total available seat miles (ASMs). Driven by a record yield of 17.34 cents, up 6.5 percent year-over-year, consolidated passenger revenue per ASM (PRASM) was also a record at 14.57 cents, up 5.9 percent versus the second quarter 2013 on a combined basis.

Total operating expenses in the second quarter were $10.0 billion, up 7.0 percent over combined second quarter 2013. Second quarter mainline cost per available seat mile (CASM) was 13.61 cents, up 3.9 percent on a 3.5 percent increase in mainline ASMs versus combined second quarter 2013. Excluding special charges and fuel, mainline CASM was up 2.2 percent compared to the combined second quarter 2013, at 8.55 cents. Regional CASM excluding special charges and fuel was 15.80 cents, up 5.2 percent on a 0.4 percent decrease in regional ASMs versus combined second quarter 2013.

Liquidity

As of June 30, 2014, American had approximately $10.3 billion in total cash and short-term investments, of which $882 million was restricted. The Company also has an undrawn revolving credit facility of $1.0 billion.

During the quarter, the Company repaid $502 million of debt obligations, which includes approximately $175 million for the settlement of its 7.25% convertible notes with cash. The Company also prepaid $113 million of obligations associated with aircraft debt, $51 million associated with special facility revenue bonds and also used $630 million of cash to purchase aircraft that were previously being leased to the Company.

At June 30, 2014, approximately $791 million of the Company’s unrestricted cash balance was held in Venezuelan bolivars, valued at the weighted average applicable exchange rate of 6.53 bolivars to the dollar. This includes approximately $94 million valued at 4.3 bolivars, approximately $611 million valued at 6.3 bolivars and approximately $86 million valued at 10.6 bolivars, with the rate depending on the date the Company submitted its repatriation request to the Venezuelan government. In the first quarter of 2014, the Venezuelan government announced that a newly implemented system (SICAD I) will determine the exchange rate (which fluctuates as determined by weekly auctions and at June 30, 2014 was 10.6 bolivars to the dollar) for repatriation of cash proceeds from ticket sales after January 1, 2014, and introduced new procedures for approval of repatriation of local currency.

The Company is continuing to work with Venezuelan authorities regarding the timing and exchange rate applicable to the repatriation of funds held in local currency. However, pending further repatriation of funds, and due to the significant decrease in demand for air travel resulting from the effective devaluation of the bolivar, the Company recently significantly reduced capacity in this market. The Company is monitoring this situation closely and continues to evaluate its holdings of Venezuelan bolivars for potential impairment.

Capital Deployment Program

The Company also announced a capital deployment program intended to efficiently allocate cash balances over and above those required to fund its business. The program has three key components:

Debt/Lease Prepayments: Since the merger closed in December 2013, the Company has prepaid $420 million of aircraft debt and bond obligations. In addition, the Company plans to prepay $480 million of special facility revenue bond obligations by the end of 2014. It is anticipated that these prepayments will represent a reduction in the Company’s debt going forward. The Company has also used $630 million of cash to purchase aircraft that were previously leased to the Company and anticipates utilizing an additional $370 million of cash in this manner through the remainder of 2014. In addition, the Company has called for redemption of the remaining $900 million principal amount of the 7.5% senior notes due March 15, 2016. In total, these steps represent approximately $2.8 billion of prepayments that will be completed by the end of 2014.

Pension Funding: The Company plans to make supplemental contributions of $600 million to its defined benefit plans in 2014. These contributions would be above and beyond the $120 million minimum required contributions for 2014.

Return to Shareholders: The program includes a share repurchase program and the initiation of a quarterly dividend. The Company’s Board of Directors authorized a $1.0 billion share repurchase program to be completed no later than December 31, 2015. The Board also declared a dividend of $0.10 per share for shareholders of record as of August 4, 2014. The dividend will be paid on August 18, 2014. This is the first cash dividend declared at American Airlines since 1980.

Shares repurchased under the program announced above may be made through a variety of methods, which may include open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, block trades or accelerated share repurchase transactions. Any such repurchases will be made from time to time subject to market and economic conditions, applicable legal requirements and other relevant factors. The program does not obligate the Company to repurchase any specific number of shares or continue a dividend for any fixed period, and may be suspended at any time at management’s discretion.

Merger Integration Developments

US Airways joined American in the trans-Atlantic joint business agreement with British Airways, Iberia and Finnair and codeshare agreements with British Airways, Iberia and oneworld alliance partner airberlin

Combined operations at 72 airports since the merger

Began harmonizing its network by aligning flying between its hubs. The changes allow the Company to replace smaller regional aircraft with larger mainline aircraft and to redeploy regional jets to other markets to better match aircraft size with customer demand in small and medium sized communities
Announced new mileage redemption options for American Airlines AAdvantage® and US Airways Dividend Miles® members, along with new checked bag policies, and began to align the First and

Fleet and Network Developments

As part of its plan to modernize its fleet, the Company inducted 21 new aircraft during the second quarter

Expanded its European presence with new, seasonal summer service between its hub at Charlotte Douglas International Airport and Barcelona, Brussels, Lisbon and Manchester, U.K.

Strengthened its presence in the Asia-Pacific region with new nonstop service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Hong Kong and Shanghai

Announced twelve new routes in the United States and Canada from Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago O’Hare, Los Angeles, Charlotte, N.C., Philadelphia and Phoenix, including service between DFW and new destination, Bismarck, N.D.

The Company also began service between DFW and Edmonton, Alberta

Other Developments

Distributed $5.5 million in operational incentive payouts to employees for on-time departures in the month of April; this distribution of $50 per employee is part of the Company’s Triple Play program which measures operational performance as reported in the DOT’s Air Travel Consumer Report (ATCR). To date, the Company’s employees have earned $16.5 million in operational incentive payouts
Honored with two awards from Airfinance Journal, including the 2013 Overall “Deal of the Year” for its merger with US Airways, and the 2013 Airline “Treasury Team of the Year” for its work on American’s debt and lease restructuring, a major aircraft order and other financing

Employees donated more than 13,000 hours to numerous projects in the second quarter. In addition, the Company donated more than $3 million of travel to organizations including American Fallen Soldiers, the Gary Sinise Foundation, the San Diego Air and Space Museum, and Carry the Load
Recognized four employees with the 2014 Earl G. Graves Award for Leadership in Diversity for influencing positive change, setting an example and leaving a lasting impact on those around them
Special Items

In the second quarter, the Company recognized a total of $592 million in net special charges, including:

$253 million net special operating charges, which principally included $163 million of merger integration expenses, a net $38 million charge for bankruptcy related settlement obligations, $37 million in charges relating to the buyout of leases associated with certain aircraft, and $15 million of other special charges

Net $337 million non-cash tax charge, consisting primarily of a $330 million non-cash tax charge related to the Company’s sale of its portfolio of fuel hedging contracts that were scheduled to settle on or after June 30, 2014. This charge reverses a non-cash tax provision which was recorded in Other Comprehensive Income (OCI), a subset of stockholder’s equity, principally in 2009. The provision represents the tax effect associated with gains recorded in OCI principally in 2009 due to a net increase in the fair value of the Company’s fuel hedging contracts

Copyright Photo: Jay Selman/AirlinersGallery.com. American Airlines Airbus A321-231 N114NN (msn 6046) completes its trans-con flight at New York (JFK).

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