A subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and headquartered in Fort Worth Texas, American Airlines is the third-largest U.S. airline behind United Continental Holdings and Delta Air Lines. American Airlines operates an extensive international and domestic network, with scheduled flights throughout North America, Latin and South America, Europe, Asia/Pacific and the Caribbean.

On November 29, 2011, American Airlines and its parent company AMR Corp filed for bankruptcy after failing to win a labor agreement with pilots and suffering from mounting fuel costs. AMR had been the only major U.S. carrier to avoid bankruptcy. Its rivals used bankruptcy to restructure their labor agreements and cut costs.