American Airlines
The American Airlines was formed in 1930 by integration of 82 small airlines as American Airways Inc which in 1934 became American Airlines, Inc. American Airlines was the first airline to use the service of the Douglas DC-3 in commercial service. In 1939 it started trading on the New York Stock Exchange. In the year 1944, American Airlines introduced the domestic scheduled United States freight service with the DC-3. With the growth of business some other Douglas freighters were included for its service. With the introduction of the Boeing 707 it became the first airline who offered coast-to-coast jet service.
American Airlines got Caribbean routes in 1970. Expanding those routes throughout the early 70s, it acquired other Caribbean routes. In 1977, American Airlines introduced historical Super Saver fare plan. In 1981, American introduced the AADVANTAGE travel awards program for frequent fliers. By the year1987, it had completed an underground facility to be secure from earthquakes, against fire and other disasters in Tulsa, Okla. In its history of American Airlines has left many landmarks some of which can be listed below.
Some Landmarks of American Airlines :
- It is the first airline which introduced a VIP lounge
- It is the first US airline to introduce an arrivals lounge in Europe offering showers, snacks, business facilities and a gym
- It is the first airline which introduced a rewards program called Advantage of American Airlines which has now 50 million members worldwide
Almost half of American Airlines is composed of McDonnell Douglas MD-82 and MD-83. American serves destinations with five continents. In recent years, it has started expanding its network in Asia. In this process it launched service from Chicago to Delhi. This route has been profitable for it. After that it has also begun its service from Chicago to Sanghai. This also proved to be a profitable route. After the 9/11 attack it has tightened its security and is now one of the world's most secure airlines. American Airlines has an award winning website which is selected by World Travel Awards as the "World's Leading Airline Internet Site" for 2005.