American Airlines History: From 1930 to Today – Airline Employee Shop

American Airlines History

American Airlines grew from a 1930 union of more than eighty small airlines into the largest airline in the world by passengers carried. Here's a short history of American, plus the American Airlines collection that celebrates it.

Many small airlines become one (1930-1934)

American Airways was formed in 1930 by bringing together more than eighty small carriers, many of them airmail operators. In 1932 E. L. Cord took control, and in 1934 the company was reorganized as American Air Lines with a Texas businessman, C. R. Smith, as its president.

C. R. Smith and the DC-3 (1934-1958)

Smith worked with Donald Douglas to develop the DC-3, and in 1936 American was the first airline to fly it. The DC-3 made it possible to earn a profit carrying passengers alone. American called its aircraft "Flagships," and Smith named his most valued travelers "admirals," which led to the Admirals Club.

Jets, Sabre and a move to Texas (1959-1980)

On January 25, 1959, American introduced Boeing 707 service across the country. It built the Sabre reservations system with IBM in the jet age. In the late 1960s Vignelli Associates designed the famous "AA" eagle logo. In 1979 American moved its headquarters from New York City to the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and it is based in Fort Worth today.

AAdvantage, hubs and a growing family (1981-today)

American launched its AAdvantage frequent flyer program on May 1, 1981, and that same year opened its first hub at Dallas/Fort Worth. It acquired Air California (Air Cal) in 1987, bought Reno Air in 1999 and purchased TWA in 2001. On December 9, 2013, American completed its merger with US Airways and kept the American name. Many of these airlines are honored in the AA Family Tree collection.

A few things collectors love

  • For decades American left most of its planes in polished, unpainted aluminum, a look it kept until a new livery was unveiled on January 17, 2013.
  • The 1960s "Astrojet" name lives on: American flies an Astrojet heritage Boeing 737-800, N905NN.
  • The word "Flagship" for American's aircraft dates back to the DC-3 era.

Shop American Airlines

Browse American Airlines logo T-shirts, coffee mugs, coasters, tote bags and vintage designs in the American Airlines collection, and find the airlines that joined American over the years in the AA Family Tree collection. Add an airline bag tag or key tag for the frequent flyer in your life.

AirlineEmployeeShop.com sells American Airlines merchandise under license from American Airlines. This page is for historical interest.