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American Airlines (AA) Guide

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In short

American Airlines is the world's largest airline by passengers, headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, with Dallas/Fort Worth as its main hub plus Charlotte, Chicago and Miami. It reaches about 350 destinations across the USA, Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. A Oneworld founding member, it runs AAdvantage. Cabins range from Main Cabin to First and Flagship Business.

American Airlines is a major US airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and the world’s largest airline by passengers carried and daily flights. With its American Eagle regional partners it serves about 350 destinations, and it was a founding member of Oneworld.

Please note: bookingMentor is an independent travel service and is not affiliated with American Airlines. Routes, schedules, fleet and baggage rules change, so always confirm the details of your booking with the airline.

What to expect

American Airlines is a major US carrier headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and a founding member of the oneworld alliance. It suits travellers flying within the United States, between North America and Latin America, and across the Atlantic or Pacific who want one ticket through a large hub. The company traces its start to 1930, when more than 80 small airlines were brought together, and today it carries more than 200 million passengers a year.

Where American Airlines flies from

American runs ten hubs, and Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) is the largest. The other nine are Charlotte, Chicago O'Hare, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK, New York LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Phoenix Sky Harbor and Washington National. Each hub has a job in the network, so picking the right one shortens most trips.

Miami is the gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean, with flights to cities such as São Paulo, Bogotá and many island capitals. Philadelphia, New York JFK and Dallas/Fort Worth send most of the transatlantic flights to London Heathrow, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome and Dublin. Dallas/Fort Worth also handles Pacific flights such as Tokyo Haneda and is the main link to Mexico. Charlotte and Phoenix are mostly domestic connecting points, while LaGuardia and Washington National serve short-haul business routes from airports close to the city centre.

Regional flights under American Eagle

Flights to smaller US cities are sold as American Eagle and flown by regional carriers. Envoy Air, PSA Airlines and Piedmont Airlines are owned by American, and Republic Airways and SkyWest Airlines fly under contract. In 2023 about 46 million passengers travelled on American Eagle flights.

For a traveller the practical point is the aircraft size. Regional jets have smaller overhead bins, so full-size cabin bags are often tagged at the aircraft door and collected on the jet bridge after landing. Your booking shows the operating carrier under each flight number.

The company behind the name

The modern airline took shape in 2013, when American merged with US Airways and kept the American name. The combined business, owned by American Airlines Group, became the largest airline in the United States and later the largest in the world by passengers carried. Hubs such as Charlotte, Philadelphia and Phoenix came into the network through that merger.

Lounges at American's hubs

American has two lounge brands. The Admirals Club, which opened its first location at LaGuardia in 1939, is a membership and day-pass lounge found at the hubs and other large airports. Flagship lounges serve passengers in international and transcontinental premium cabins, along with eligible oneworld elite members flying internationally.

Fact-checked by the bookingMentor Travel Desk Reviewed · Updated when rules or prices change

Checked against trusted sources:
American official website

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  1. American official website
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Good to know

  • Founded1930
  • Other gatewaysCLT / ORD / MIA / JFK / PHL / PHX / LAX / DCA

Everything you should know

Airline codes

AA · AAL

IATA · ICAO · callsign “AMERICAN”

American’s IATA code is AA, its ICAO code is AAL, and the radio callsign is AMERICAN. Type AA and your flight number into a status search to follow an American flight.

Key facts

Main hub

Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)

Dallas/Fort Worth International

Also flies abroad fromCharlotte (CLT) · Chicago O’Hare (ORD) · Miami (MIA) · New York JFK (JFK) · Philadelphia (PHL) · Phoenix (PHX) · Los Angeles (LAX) · Washington National (DCA)

Network

350 destinations

USA · Canada · Latin America · Caribbean · Europe · Asia · Pacific

American’s hubs are Dallas/Fort Worth, Charlotte, Chicago O’Hare, Los Angeles, Miami, New York JFK and LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington National. Regional flights fly as American Eagle.

Destinations

Cabin classes

Flagship Business

and Premium Economy, First, Main Cabin

Long-haul flights offer Flagship Business, Premium Economy and Main Cabin; domestic flights have First and Main Cabin. American sells seven products, and the aircraft decides which you can buy. Flagship First is the top international and transcontinental cabin, offered on the Boeing 777-300ER and selected A321s. Flagship Business has lie-flat seats on long-haul and some transcontinental flights. On domestic flights the front cabin is called First, or Business on some routes. Premium Economy is a separate cabin on every widebody aircraft, with a wider seat and more legroom. Behind it sit Main Cabin Extra rows with extra legroom, standard Main Cabin seats and Basic Economy fares. Basic Economy uses the same seats as Main Cabin, but comes with tighter rules on seat selection and changes, so compare it with the Main Cabin price before you book.

Compare cabins

Good to know

American’s lounges are Admirals Club and, for long-haul premium travellers, Flagship lounges. Its loyalty programme is AAdvantage, and its official website is aa.com.

Frequent flyer

AAdvantage

Member of Oneworld

Points from American flights go into AAdvantage, and you can usually earn and spend with the other oneworld airlines too.

How it works

Start a new search

Search your dates on bookingMentor to see American next to the other airlines flying from Dallas/Fort Worth, then pick the fare that suits your trip.

Have a good trip, whether you start in Dallas/Fort Worth or somewhere else on the American network.

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At a glance

American Airlines (IATA: AA, ICAO: AAL) is a major US airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, and the world’s largest by passengers carried. A Oneworld founding member, it flies Airbus A319–A321 and Boeing 737, 777 and 787 aircraft from hubs including Dallas/Fort Worth, Charlotte, Chicago and Miami to about 350 destinations.

Key facts about American Airlines
HeadquartersFort Worth, Texas, United States
Fleet typesAirbus A319, A320, A321, A321neo, A321XLR, Boeing 737, 777 and 787
Frequent flyerAAdvantage
Official websiteaa.com

Flight routes

Destinations and routes

Direct routes
American serves about 350 destinations. Below are its hubs and some of the main cities it flies to; search your route to see current flights. Search flights

US hubs

Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) departures12 destinations

Check all

Fleet and aircraft

American had 1,030 mainline aircraft in June 2026. Domestic and short international routes use the Airbus A319, A320 and A321 and the Boeing 737-800 and 737 MAX 8. Newer Airbus A321neo and A321XLR jets fly transcontinental routes and some thinner transatlantic routes. Long-haul flights use the Boeing 777-200ER, 777-300ER, 787-8 and 787-9. The fleet's average age was about 14.7 years in September 2026, and around 301 Airbus and Boeing aircraft were on order in October 2025. American has also placed an order for 20 Boom Overture supersonic aircraft with 40 options, which have not entered service.

  • Airbus A319 Narrow-body Domestic, Caribbean and Latin America routes
  • Airbus A320 Narrow-body Domestic, Caribbean and Latin America routes
  • Airbus A321 Narrow-body Domestic, Caribbean and Latin America routes
  • Airbus A321neo Narrow-body Domestic, transcontinental and transatlantic routes
  • Airbus A321XLR Narrow-body Domestic, transcontinental and transatlantic routes
  • Boeing 737-800 Narrow-body Domestic and regional routes
  • Boeing 737 MAX 8 Narrow-body Domestic and regional routes
  • Boeing 777-200ER Wide-body Long-haul routes that need the most seats
  • Boeing 777-300ER Wide-body Long-haul routes that need the most seats
  • Boeing 787-8 Wide-body Mid-size jets across the transatlantic and transpacific network
  • Boeing 787-9 Wide-body Mid-size jets across the transatlantic and transpacific network

Cabin classes

Four cabins are on sale at American: Flagship Business, Premium Economy, First and Main Cabin. Not every American route has all of them.

Flagship Business Long-haul

Lie-flat business

American’s long-haul business class.

Lie-flat seatFlagship lounge access

Premium Economy Long-haul

More space

A separate cabin on wide-body aircraft.

Wider seatMore legroom

First Domestic

Domestic first class

The front cabin on domestic and short international flights.

Larger seatPriority boarding

Main Cabin All flights

Economy

Economy, including Basic Economy fares.

Main Cabin Extra rows with more legroom

AAdvantage

American’s loyalty programme. Join AAdvantage online before you fly so the trip counts.

AAdvantage members earn miles on American and Oneworld flights and with many partners, and redeem them for award flights and upgrades. Status is based on Loyalty Points.

The AAdvantage programme started on 1 May 1981 and had more than 115 million members by 2021. Elite tiers are Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum, and status is earned through Loyalty Points. Each tier lines up with a oneworld level, so priority check-in, extra baggage and lounge access carry over when you fly partner airlines.

Joint businesses deepen the partnerships on long-haul routes. The Atlantic Joint Business links American with British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus and Finnair. Japan Airlines is its partner across the Pacific, and a separate joint venture with Qantas covers routes between the US, Australia and New Zealand. On these routes schedules and fares are planned together, which gives more departure times on one ticket.

Baggage allowance

On American, the bag allowance follows your fare type, cabin and route, and the exact figure is printed on your AA e-ticket.

Checked baggage
On your e-ticket
Cabin baggage
Set by your fare
Extra bags
Add online before you fly
Power banks
Cabin bag only

American sets one allowance for short-haul and another for long-haul, and its premium cabins always carry more than the cheapest economy fare. Check the route-by-route figures on aa.com.

Your checked and cabin baggage allowance depends on the route, cabin, fare type and AAdvantage status, and it is shown in your booking. Higher cabins include more than Basic Economy on the same route, and any bag you need to pay for can be added in Manage Booking before you reach the airport.

Online check-in runs through aa.com and the American app, which also hold mobile boarding passes and rebooking options during disruption. At busy hubs such as Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami and JFK, allow extra time for security, and check whether your connection needs a terminal change. Add your AAdvantage number when you book so miles post automatically.

Pro tip: if your AA fare comes without a hold bag, buy one in your booking before you fly; airport prices for extra bags are usually higher.
Travel day

Online Check-in

Getting through check-in for American is simpler in this order. Start online and finish at bag drop.

  1. Step 1

    Check in online

    Online check-in for AA flights is on the official American website. You need the AA booking reference or e-ticket number and the passenger’s surname.

    Booking ref + surname
  2. Step 2

    Prepare your documents

    International American passengers need a passport and whatever visa, residence permit or entry documents the destination requires. Domestic AA passengers should bring a photo ID the airline accepts.

    Passport · visa · ID
  3. Step 3

    Arrive early

    Get to the airport with time for American check-in, bag drop and security. The airline sets a deadline for each airport, shown in your booking, and late arrivals can lose their seat.

    Check your deadline
  4. Step 4

    Drop your bags

    At the airport, take your bags to the American bag-drop point. Collect a printed AA boarding pass there if you have not saved one to your phone.

    American counter
Ready to check in? Check in and manage your booking on the official American website.
Check in with American
Save money

Cheap tickets

A few booking habits that tend to cut the cost of flying American.

  1. 01

    Be flexible with your American dates

    Compare a full week of American departures; midweek days are often priced below Fridays and Sundays.

    Midweek flights
  2. 02

    Avoid peak holiday dates

    Fares rise around Thanksgiving, Christmas, spring break and the summer holidays. Book early for those dates.

    School holidays · festivals
  3. 03

    Compare American fare types

    Look at the next American fare up: if it bundles a hold bag or easier changes, it may beat the basic fare plus extras.

    Baggage & changes
  4. 04

    Don’t leave busy routes late

    Last-minute AA seats on popular routes tend to cost more. Book a few weeks out when an American route is busy.

    Popular routes
  5. 05

    Join AAdvantage

    Add a AAdvantage number to your booking so points from your AA flights are credited.

    Before you fly

  6. Ready to compare fares?

    Search American alongside every other airline on your route, with flexible dates.

    Search American flights

Reviews and questions

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Everything travellers ask before flying American Airlines.
Answers checked against American’s official website and published airline records. Reviewed 10 October 2026.

Getting there

American Airlines is a founding member of the oneworld alliance. Partners include British Airways, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways and Alaska Airlines, so you can connect and use status benefits across the alliance.