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Snapshot: A Look at American Airlines by the Numbers

Aug. 26, 2019
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3 min read
American Airlines Planes at O'Hare
Snapshot: A Look at American Airlines by the Numbers
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American Airlines traces its history back to a 1926 mail courier flight piloted by Charles Lindbergh. Within 10 years, those mail courier routes had formed the foundation of a company that would become one of the world's leading passenger carrier.

Following its merger with US Airways, announced in 2013, American has spent most of this decade as the world's largest airline. The carrier can still boast of the title by some metrics — it still has more planes than any other airline, for example — but Delta and United also can now claim the top spot by other commonly used measures.

American was long known for its bare-metal livery, which can still be seen on its MD-80s for a few more weeks. But aside from the MD-80, American's fleet now sports a silvery-white paint scheme that was adopted around the same time American began flying planes with composite fuselages.

Here are some other key facts and figures:

Headquarters: Fort Worth, Texas

CEO: Doug Parker

Destinations: 365 in 61 countries

Hubs: Charlotte, Chicago O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, New York LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Phoenix Sky Harbor and Washington Reagan National

Daily Departures: About 6,800

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Frequent-Flyer Program: AAdvantage

Frequent-Flyer Alliance: Oneworld

Related: Choosing the Best Credit Card for American Airlines Flyers

Busiest Airports by Number of AA Passengers in 2018:

  1. Dallas/Fort Worth (55.06 million)
  2. Charlotte (40.33 million)
  3. Miami (28.36 million)
  4. Chicago O'Hare (27.55 million)
  5. Philadelphia (21.09 million)
  6. Phoenix (19.79 million)
  7. Los Angeles (16.41 million)
  8. Washington Reagan National (11.03 million)
  9. New York LaGuardia (7.73 million)
  10. New York John F. Kennedy (6.89 million)

Source: Diio by Cirium

Related: American Airlines’ Phoenix Hub is Still Growing; Carrier Adds 3 New Routes

Busiest Airports by Average Daily Departures on AA in 2018:

  1. Dallas/Fort Worth (719)
  2. Charlotte (617)
  3. Chicago O'Hare (437)
  4. Philadelphia (346)
  5. Miami (324)
  6. Phoenix (252)
  7. Washington Reagan National (224)
  8. Los Angeles (196)
  9. New York LaGuardia (143)
  10. New York John F. Kennedy (87)

Source: Diio by Cirium

Related: An MD-80? The Truth Behind This Tiny American Airlines ‘Plane’ Parked at O’Hare

Planes in American's Fleet (Including Regional Affiliates)*

  • Boeing 787 (42)
  • Boeing 777 (67)
  • Boeing 767 (15)
  • Boeing 757 (34)
  • Boeing 737 (344)
  • Airbus A330 (24)
  • Airbus A321 (219)
  • Airbus A321neo (12)
  • Airbus A320 (48)
  • Airbus A319 (133)
  • McDonnell-Douglas MD-80 (30 in 2018, will be retired in September)
  • Embraer E190 (14)
  • Canadair CRJ 900 (125)
  • Canadair CRJ 700 (121)
  • Canadair CRJ 200 (19)
  • Embraer E175 (174)
  • Embraer E145 (118)
  • Embraer E140 (46)

Source: *Numbers show American's expected year-end fleet count (including regional affiliates) for 2019, per the company's July 25, 2019, filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Related: American Airlines: Reviews, Deals, News & Guides

Contributing: Edward Russell, The Points Guy

Featured image by Corbis via Getty Images

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  • Intro Offer

    As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.

  • Annual Fee

    $325

  • Recommended Credit

    Excellent to Good

Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.