American Airlines

American Airlines developed over the years out of the union or merger of some 85 companies. Two nucleate companies were Robertson Aircraft Corporation and Colonial Air Transport. Robertson Aircraft, first organized in 1921 in Missouri as a general flying service and manufacturer, flew its first mail route on April 15, 1926, between Chicago and St. Louis, Missouri; the pilot on the first flight was Charles A. Lindbergh. Colonial Air, which developed out of a charter service called the Bee Line (formed in 1923), flew mail between New York City and Boston, beginning June 18, 1926. In 1929 these airlines were combined under a holding company, the Aviation Corporation, which was reorganized as an operating company and renamed American Airways, Inc., in 1930. In that year, in the amalgamation of several airlines, the company had routes extending from Boston and New York City to San Diego and Los Angeles, via Cleveland and Kansas City. In 1934, when most U.S. airlines were compelled to reorganize because of new congressional guidelines and the loss of mail contracts, the company thoroughly reworked its routes into an integrated system and was renamed and reincorporated as American Airlines, Inc. Cyrus Rowlett Smith was elected president in that year and, as president or chairman of the board, guided the company’s fortunes until 1968, when he became U.S. secretary of commerce. Returning briefly as chief executive officer in 1973, he retired in 1974.

The airline expanded greatly from the 1970s to the ’90s, developing from a basically domestic American airline into an international carrier reaching the Caribbean, South America, Europe, and the Pacific, largely by buying routes of other airlines. In 2001 it acquired the American carrier Trans World Airlines, Inc.

In the early 21st century, because of increasing financial difficulties in a struggling airline industry, American Airlines underwent a period of major restructuring, including a decrease in flight routes, a reduction in seating capacity, and employee layoffs and job cuts. In 2008 American Airlines became the first airline to offer full in-flight Internet access in the United States on its Boeing 767-200 aircraft. In 2009 it became the first major airline to partner with the Environmental Protection Agency to develop environmentally friendly business strategies. However, American Airlines continued to struggle financially, and in 2011 the carrier and AMR Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In early 2013 American Airlines agreed to merge with US Airways in a deal that would create the largest U.S. airline.