Item 1. Business
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Overview
American Airlines Group Inc. (AAG), a Delaware corporation, is a holding company and its principal, wholly-owned subsidiaries are American Airlines, Inc. (American), Envoy Aviation Group Inc., PSA Airlines, Inc. (PSA) and Piedmont Airlines, Inc. (Piedmont). AAG was formed in 1982, under the name AMR Corporation (AMR), as the parent company of American, which was founded in 1934.
AAG’s and American’s principal executive offices are located at 1 Skyview Drive, Fort Worth, Texas 76155 and their telephone number is 682-278-9000.
Airline Operations
Together with our wholly-owned regional airline subsidiaries and third-party regional carriers operating as American Eagle, our primary business activity is the operation of a major network air carrier, providing scheduled air transportation for passengers and cargo through our hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. and partner gateways, including in London, Doha, Madrid, Seattle/Tacoma, Sydney and Tokyo (among others). In 2022, over 199 million passengers boarded our flights. During 2022, we announced the return of several international routes that had been cut due to the COVID-19 pandemic and aircraft delivery delays.
As of December 31, 2022, we operated 925 mainline aircraft supported by our regional airline subsidiaries and third-party regional carriers, which together operated an additional 536 regional aircraft. See Part I, Item 2. Properties for further discussion of our mainline and regional aircraft and “Regional” below for further discussion of our regional operations.
American is a founding member of the one world ® Alliance, which brings together a global network of 13 world-class member airlines and their affiliates, working together to provide a superior and seamless travel experience. See “Distribution and Marketing Agreements” below for further discussion on the one world Alliance and other agreements with domestic and international airlines.
See Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – “2022 Financial Overview,” “AAG’s Results of Operations” and “American’s Results of Operations” for further discussion of AAG’s and American’s operating results and operating performance. Also, see Note 1(m) to each of AAG’s and American’s Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Items 8A and 8B, respectively, for passenger revenue by geographic region and Note 13 to AAG’s Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8A and Note 12 to American’s Consolidated Financial Statements in Part II, Item 8B for information regarding operating segments.
Regional
Our regional carriers provide scheduled air transportation under the brand name “American Eagle.” The American Eagle carriers include our wholly-owned regional carriers Envoy Air Inc. (Envoy), PSA and Piedmont, as well as third-party regional carriers including Republic Airways Inc. (Republic), SkyWest Airlines, Inc. (SkyWest), Mesa Airlines, Inc. (Mesa) and Air Wisconsin Airlines LLC (Air Wisconsin). Our regional carriers are an integral component of our operating network. We rely heavily on regional carriers to drive feeder traffic to our hubs from low-density markets that are not economical for us to serve with larger, mainline aircraft. In addition, regional carriers offer complementary service in many of our mainline markets. All American Eagle carriers use logos, service marks, aircraft paint schemes and uniforms similar to those of our mainline operations. In 2022, 48 million passengers boarded our regional flights, approximately 44% of whom connected to or from our mainline flights.
Our regional carrier arrangements are in the form of capacity purchase agreements. The capacity purchase agreements provide that all revenues, including passenger, in-flight, ancillary, mail and freight revenues, go to us. We control marketing, scheduling, ticketing, pricing and seat inventories. In return, we agree to pay predetermined fees to these airlines for operating an agreed-upon number of aircraft, without regard to the number of passengers on board. In addition, these agreements provide that we either reimburse or pay 100% of certain variable costs, such as airport landing fees, fuel and passenger liability insurance. We previously announced that we had entered into an agreement with Air Wisconsin, pursuant to which Air Wisconsin is expected to begin operating scheduled flights under the American Eagle name in the first quarter of 2023. Additionally, in December 2022, we announced a wind-down of our relationship with Mesa, which we expect to conclude in the second quarter of 2023.
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Cargo
Our cargo division provides a wide range of freight and mail services, with facilities and interline connections available across the globe. In 2022, we served more than 20,000 unique origin and destination pairs, transporting over 890 million pounds of time-sensitive freight and mail across our network. Also in 2022, we were named Best Cargo Airline from the Americas by Air Cargo News .
Distribution and Marketing Agreements
Passengers can purchase tickets for travel on American through several distribution channels, including our website ( www.aa.com ), our mobile app, our reservations centers and third-party distribution channels, including those provided by or through global distribution systems (e.g., Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport), conventional travel agents, travel management companies and online travel agents (e.g., Expedia, including its booking sites Orbitz and Travelocity, and Booking Holdings, including its booking sites Kayak and Priceline). In 2022, American entered into new long-term distribution agreements with Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport which will allow us to continue to provide convenient ways for customers to purchase travel from American. To remain competitive, we will need to manage our distribution costs and rights effectively, increase our distribution flexibility and improve the functionality of our proprietary and third-party distribution channels, while maintaining an industry-competitive cost structure. For more discussion, see Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors – “ We rely on third-party distribution channels and must manage effectively the costs, rights and functionality of these channels .”
In general, beyond nonstop city pairs, carriers that have the greatest ability to seamlessly connect passengers to and from markets have a competitive advantage. In some cases, however, foreign governments limit U.S. air carriers’ rights to transport passengers beyond designated gateway cities in foreign countries. In order to improve access to domestic and foreign markets, we have arrangements with other airlines including through the one world Alliance, other cooperation agreements, joint business agreements and marketing relationships, as further discussed below.
Member of oneworld Alliance
American is a founding member of the one world Alliance, which currently includes Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas Airways (Qantas), Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian Airlines and SriLankan Airlines. Fiji Airways is a one world connect partner and Oman Air is expected to join the one world Alliance in 2024. The one world Alliance links the networks of member carriers and their respective affiliates to enhance customer service and provide smooth connections to the destinations served by the alliance, including linking member carriers’ loyalty programs and providing reciprocal access to the carriers’ airport lounge facilities.
Cooperation and Joint Business Agreements
American has established a transatlantic joint business with British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia and Finnair, a transpacific joint business with Japan Airlines and a joint business relating to Australia and New Zealand with Qantas. Joint business agreements enable the carriers involved to cooperate on flights between particular destinations and allow pooling and sharing of certain revenues and costs, enhanced loyalty program reciprocity and cooperation in other areas. Joint business agreements have become a common approach among major carriers to address key regulatory restrictions typically applicable to international airline service, including limitations on the foreign ownership of airlines and national laws prohibiting foreign airlines from carrying passengers beyond specific gateway cities. American and its joint business partners received regulatory approval to enter into each of these cooperation agreements and each has been granted antitrust immunity. Our competitors, including Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, are party to similar arrangements.
The business relationship under the transatlantic joint business benefits from a grant of antitrust immunity from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and was reviewed by the European Commission (EC) in July 2010. In connection with this review, we provided certain commitments to the EC regarding, among other things, the availability of take-off and landing slots at London Heathrow (LHR) or London Gatwick (LGW) airports. The commitments accepted by the EC were binding for 10 years. In October 2018, in anticipation of the exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union (EU), commonly referred to as Brexit, and the expiry of the EC commitments in July 2020, the United Kingdom Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened an investigation into the transatlantic joint business. We continue to fully cooperate with the CMA and, in September 2020 and April 2022, the CMA adopted interim measures that effectively extend the EC commitments until March 2026 in light of the uncertainty and other impacts resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The CMA plans to complete its investigation before the scheduled expiration of the interim measures in March 2026.
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Marketing Relationships
To improve access to each other’s markets, various U.S. and foreign air carriers, including American, have established marketing agreements with other airlines. These marketing agreements are intended to provide enhanced customer choice by means of an expanded network with reciprocal loyalty program participation and joint sales cooperation. As of December 31, 2022, American had codeshare, marketing and/or loyalty program relationships with Aer Lingus, Air Tahiti Nui, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cape Air, Cathay Pacific, China Southern Airlines Company Limited (China Southern Airlines), EL AL Israel Airlines, Etihad Airways, Fiji Airways, Finnair, GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A. (GOL), Gulf Air, Hawaiian Airlines, Iberia, IndiGo, Japan Airlines, JetBlue Airways Corporation (JetBlue), Jetstar, Jetstar Japan, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian Airlines, Silver Airways, SriLankan Airlines and Vueling Airlines.
In 2022, we entered into an investment agreement with GOL, a Brazilian low-cost airline. This expanded partnership with GOL includes an exclusive codeshare agreement allowing customers access to more than 30 destinations served by American in the U.S. and more than 30 destinations served by GOL in South America. Members of GOL’s SMILES and American’s AAdvantage loyalty programs will also benefit from a deeper loyalty program partnership. In addition, the expanded partnership with GOL will allow further commercial cooperation in areas such as purchasing, sales tools and systems integration, subject to relevant regulatory and contractual limitations.
Also in 2022, we expanded our strategic alliance with Qatar Airways, enabling American’s customers to book travel on Qatar Airways flights between the U.S. and Doha, Qatar and connecting to and from select destinations throughout the Middle East, East Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia gateways. In addition to this expanded codeshare, we launched new service in 2022 from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Doha’s Hamad International Airport.
Additionally, in December 2022, we completed an investment agreement with JetSmart Airlines SpA (JetSMART), an ultra-low-cost carrier operating in South America, which includes a codeshare agreement that remains to be implemented.
In 2021, we began implementing key aspects of our marketing relationship with JetBlue, creating seamless connectivity for travelers in the U.S. Northeast and more choice for customers across our complementary domestic and international networks. This arrangement includes an alliance agreement with reciprocal codesharing on certain domestic and international routes from New York (JFK, LaGuardia Airport (LGA) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)) and Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), and provides for reciprocal loyalty program benefits. The arrangement does not include JetBlue’s transatlantic flying. Pursuant to federal law, American and JetBlue submitted this proposed alliance arrangement to the DOT for review. After American, JetBlue and the DOT agreed to a series of commitments, the DOT terminated its review of the proposed alliance in January 2021. The commitments include growth commitments to ensure capacity expansion, slot divestitures at JFK and at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) near Washington, D.C. and antitrust compliance measures. Beyond this agreement with the DOT (the DOT Agreement), American and JetBlue will also refrain from certain kinds of coordination on certain city pair markets. Upon the DOT’s termination of its review of the proposed alliance, American and JetBlue implemented the proposed alliance subject to these commitments. On September 21, 2021, the United States Department of Justice (the DOJ), joined by Attorneys General from six states and the District of Columbia, filed an antitrust complaint against American and JetBlue in the District of Massachusetts alleging that American and JetBlue violated U.S. antitrust law in connection with the Northeast Alliance arrangement (the NEA). The parties presented their respective cases in a bench trial that commenced on September 27, 2022. Closing arguments from both parties were presented on November 18, 2022. A decision is expected in the first quarter of 2023. Separately, in December 2022, two putative class action lawsuits were filed in the Eastern District of New York also alleging that the NEA violated the antitrust law. Those lawsuits, which have been consolidated, seek monetary and injunctive relief. In February 2023, private party plaintiffs filed two additional putative class action antitrust complaints against American and JetBlue in the District of Massachusetts and the Eastern District of New York, respectively. We believe these complaints are without merit and are defending against them vigorously.
We also have a marketing relationship with Alaska Airlines which includes an expanded codeshare agreement (including codeshare on certain of our international routes from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)), reciprocal loyalty program benefits and shared lounge access. Prior to its implementation, American and Alaska Airlines submitted this arrangement to the DOT for review pursuant to federal law. After the DOT allowed the review period to expire with no further actions, American and Alaska Airlines commenced implementation of this arrangement.
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Loyalty Program
Our loyalty program, AAdvantage ® , was established to develop passenger loyalty by offering benefits and awards to travelers for their continued patronage with American and our partners. AAdvantage members earn mileage credits for flying on American, any one world Alliance airline or other partner airlines. For every dollar spent by flying on American, members earn mileage credits, and Gold, Platinum, Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum status holders earn additional bonus mileage credits of 40%, 60%, 80% and 120%, respectively. Members also earn mileage credits by using the services of more than 1,000 non-flight partners, such as our co-branded credit cards, and certain hotel and car rental companies. The AAdvantage program in general, and our co-branded credit cards in particular, are significant assets of our business and have become increasingly important to our company over time.
Mileage credits can be redeemed for free or upgraded travel on American and participating airlines, membership to our Admirals Club ® or for other non-flight awards, such as car rentals and hotels, from our program partners. Travel awards are available on all flights operated by American and at times are subject to capacity-controlled seating on flights operated by our partners. A member’s mileage credits generally do not expire if that member has any type of qualifying activity at least once every 24 months or if the AAdvantage member is the primary holder of a co-branded credit card. Starting in 2022, AAdvantage members have more pathways to status and only one metric to track: Loyalty Points, which can be earned through a variety of qualifying travel and non-travel activities, including use of our co-branded credit cards. Loyalty Points are used for measuring status qualification in the AAdvantage program over a 12-month period beginning on March 1 of each year. Status members can enjoy additional travel benefits of the AAdvantage program, including complimentary upgrades, checked bags, and Preferred and Main Cabin Extra seats, as well as priority check-in, security, boarding and baggage delivery when traveling on American, any one world Alliance airline or other partner airlines. In addition, we introduced Loyalty Point Rewards, which, starting in March 2023, will allow members to unlock benefits, rewards and choices before, between and beyond the traditional status tiers.
In 2022, AAdvantage was recognized as the Best Elite Program in the Americas by the 2022 Freddie Awards, which is based entirely on votes from travelers around the world. In addition, the editorial staff of the digital news outlet, The Points Guy , selected AAdvantage Executive Platinum Status as the Best U.S. Airline Elite Status and awarded Loyalty Points with the Innovation Award for Loyalty.
Under our agreements with AAdvantage members and program partners, we reserve the right to change the terms of the AAdvantage program at any time and without notice, and may end the program with six months’ notice. Program rules, partners, special offers, awards and requisite mileage levels for awards are subject to change.
During 2022, our members redeemed approximately 13 million awards, including travel redemptions for flights and upgrades on American and other air carriers, as well as redemption of car and hotel awards, club memberships and merchandise. Approximately 7% of our 2022 total revenue passenger miles flown were from award travel.
See Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – “ Critical Accounting Policies and Estimate s” for more information on our loyalty program.
Industry Competition
Domestic
The markets in which we operate are highly competitive. On most of our domestic nonstop routes, we face competing service from other domestic airlines, including major network airlines, low-cost carriers and ultra-low-cost carriers such as Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines and United Airlines. Between cities that require a connection, where the major airlines compete via their respective hubs, competition is significant. In addition, we face competition on some of our connecting routes from airlines operating point-to-point service on such routes. We also compete with all-cargo and charter airlines and, particularly on shorter segments, ground and rail transportation.
On all of our routes, pricing decisions are affected, in large part, by the need to meet competition from other airlines. Price competition occurs on a market-by-market basis through price discounts, changes in pricing structures, fare matching, targeted promotions and loyalty program initiatives. Airlines typically use discounted fares and other promotions to stimulate traffic during normally weak travel periods, when they begin service to new cities, when they have excess capacity, to generate cash flow, to maximize revenue per available seat mile or to establish, increase or preserve market share. Most airlines will quickly match price reductions in a particular market, and we have often elected to match discounted or promotional fares initiated by other air carriers in certain markets in order to compete in those markets. In addition, we face pricing pressures from so-called ultra-low-cost carriers, such as Allegiant Air, Frontier Airlines and Spirit
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Airlines, which compete in many of the markets in which we operate, with competition from these carriers increasing and new entrants regularly announcing their intention to start up new ultra-low-cost carriers.
In addition to price competition, airlines compete for market share by increasing the size of their route system and the number of markets they serve. The American Eagle regional carriers increase the number of markets we serve by flying to smaller markets and providing connections at our hubs. Many of our competitors also own or have agreements with regional airlines that provide similar services at their hubs and other locations. We also compete on the basis of scheduling (frequency and flight times), availability of nonstop flights, on-time performance, type of equipment, cabin configuration, amenities provided to passengers, loyalty programs, the automation of travel agent reservation systems, onboard products, health and safety, sustainability initiatives and other services.
International
In addition to our extensive domestic service, we provide international service to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe, China, Japan, Korea, India, Australia and New Zealand. In 2022, we launched service to Doha, Qatar, allowing customers to connect to and from select destinations throughout the Middle East, East Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia gateways. In providing international air transportation, we compete with other U.S. airlines, foreign investor-owned airlines and foreign state-owned or state-affiliated airlines. Competition has also been increasing from low-cost airlines executing international long-haul expansion strategies, a trend we also expect to continue, in particular with the planned introduction of long-range narrowbody aircraft in the coming years.
In order to increase our ability to compete in the market for international air transportation service, which is subject to extensive government regulation, U.S. and foreign carriers have entered into bilateral and multilateral marketing relationships, alliances, cooperation agreements and joint business agreements to exchange traffic among each other’s flights and route networks. See “ Distribution and Marketing Agreements ” above for further discussion.
Sustainability
Our purpose is to care for people on life’s journey. Conducting our business with a view towards operating a sustainable business that has the ability to serve our stakeholders over the long-term is an important part of this purpose. We have increased our focus over time on a number of elements that we view as important to build a more sustainable company, including those described below.
Climate
We recognize the challenge of climate change and have set ambitious goals to transition to operating a low-carbon airline over time.
Our aim is to achieve net zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, and we have set an intermediate target to drive progress toward that goal. In April 2022, we received validation from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) that our 2035 GHG reduction target complies with the SBTi criteria.
The vast majority of our direct GHG emissions comes from the use of jet fuel in our operations. Our current strategy for reaching net zero emissions by 2050 is focused on running a more fuel-efficient operation, with more fuel-efficient aircraft, powered by low-carbon fuel. To do so, we are working to drive progress across several key levers, including:
• Continuing to replace older, less fuel-efficient aircraft with new, more efficient aircraft over time;
• Helping scale the production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with the aim of transitioning to lower-carbon fuels. Currently, SAF is not available at the cost or scale necessary to meet our industry’s needs. We continue to enter into agreements to purchase SAF as part of our goal to replace 10% of our conventional jet fuel with SAF in 2030 and to encourage investment in SAF; and
• Evaluating and investing in innovations that may enable commercial aircraft to be powered by low- and no-carbon fuel sources over the long term. For example, in 2022 we made direct investments in ZeroAvia and Universal Hydrogen, companies working to develop hydrogen-electric propulsion technology and green hydrogen distribution, respectively. We are also an anchor partner of Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, which aims to make investments to accelerate the development of new clean energy technologies.
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Achieving our ambitious goals will require significant action and investments by governments, manufacturers and other stakeholders. We are committed to engaging with our stakeholders to seek to advance these initiatives, and we have dedicated resources to advance our own progress. Our Board and Corporate Governance, Public Responsibility and Safety Committee receive updates on our climate strategy, progress and key risks regularly. And, in 2022, we formally assigned responsibility for oversight of our climate change strategy at the management level to our Chief Executive Officer.
Safety
The safety of our customers and team members is a top priority. Our approach to safety is guided by our Safety Management System (SMS), an organization-wide approach to identifying and managing risk. The SMS is comprised of four components: Safety Policy, Safety Assurance, Safety Risk Management and Safety Promotion. Our Safety Policy sets safety objectives while striving to comply with applicable regulatory requirements and laws in the countries where we operate and establishing standards for acceptable operational behaviors.
The Safety Assurance component of our SMS specifies how we use data and conduct quality assurance and internal oversight to validate the effectiveness of risk controls and the performance of the SMS. The Safety Risk Management (SRM) element of our SMS provides a decision-making process for identifying hazards and mitigating risk based on a thorough understanding of our systems and their operating environment. We employ SRM whenever there is a significant change to our operations, such as delivery of new aircraft. Lastly, the Safety Promotion component includes training and raising awareness among team members so that they can spot potential safety events.
Customers
We fly to more than 300 destinations in the United States and internationally, and we are committed to providing our customers with a world-class travel experience. We continued to rigorously measure and track customer satisfaction through passenger surveys in 2022, efforts that led to further improvements in our operations and the services we provide.
In 2022:
• We recorded a record Likelihood to Recommend score based on our internal customer data derived from approximately three million surveys completed by our customers in 2022; and
• We were recognized for the fifth consecutive year with the prestigious Five Star rating in The APEX Official Airline Ratings – Global Airline category. This rating is based on verified customer feedback on the overall travel experience.
Our People
The airline business is labor intensive, and our team members are critical to delivering for our customers. The operational complexity of our business requires a diverse team of personnel trained and experienced in a variety of technical areas such as flight operations, ground operations, safety and maintenance, customer service and airline scheduling and planning. We believe that if we create an environment where our team members feel supported, they will take care of our customers and thereby support the success of our business. To do this, we must continue to build a diverse and inclusive environment, helping all team members reach their full potential and providing them with the right resources and support.
Talent Development
We focus on providing our team members the tools, training and resources they need to do their best work. We maintain a suite of programs aimed at helping our people develop the skills and experience they need to succeed in their roles and build rewarding, long-term careers within our company. Additionally, we have partnered with leading online learning platforms to make professional development available on-demand to all of our team members.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Cultivating an environment that celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is a priority for us, and we seek to create a workplace where diverse perspectives and experiences are welcomed and encouraged, where team members feel comfortable to be their authentic selves and where we are always learning from one another. Our goal is to make culture a competitive advantage so people will want to work with us, fly with us and invest in us. We are implementing a multiyear strategy focused on embedding DEI throughout our company by:
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• Hiring, engaging and retaining talent for growth;
• Delivering excellence in our operations to serve and expand our global markets;
• Striving to have our teams reflect the diversity of our global customer base; and
• Driving innovation to build competitive advantages.
In 2022, we received a perfect score on the 2022 Disability Equality Index and were designated a Human Rights Campaign’s 2022 Best Place to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality. We also launched the Selection, Onboarding, Advancement and Retention program, an expansion of our Executive Sponsorship Program, which creates a sustainable foundation for supporting diverse talent and underrepresented groups across our company.
Competitive Pay and Comprehensive Benefits
We seek to offer competitive pay, comprehensive benefits and a wide variety of resources designed to support the physical, behavioral and financial well-being of our team members and their families, including medical coverage that is intended to be affordable and flexible along with healthcare navigation and support tools.
Our internal recognition programs give team members and customers the opportunity to show their appreciation for a job well done, including through our Nonstop Thanks program whereby team members can award each other points for exceptional service or as an expression of gratitude. Recognition points earned through the recognition program can be redeemed for items in an online catalog. In 2022, our team members were recognized by customers, peers and company leaders over two million times and hundreds of team members were nominated for the annual Chairman’s Award, the highest honor that we bestow upon our team members.
Our future success depends in large part on our ability to attract, develop and retain highly qualified management, technical and other personnel. Retaining and recruiting people with the appropriate skills has been particularly challenging as the economy in general, and the airline industry in particular, have continued to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. A rapid return of demand for air travel and the corresponding need for airlines to staff expanding operations resulted in a period of intense competition for the human resources necessary to operate our business successfully. Like many other airlines, we have experienced and continue to experience periodic shortages of frontline team members as a result. Certain of these personnel shortages, such as pilots, are systemic and could persist for some time. For more discussion, see Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors – “The loss of key personnel upon whom we depend to operate our business or the inability to attract and develop additional qualified personnel could adversely affect our business.”
Labor Relations
In 2022, mainline and regional salaries, wages and benefits were our largest expense and represented 32% of our total operating expenses. As of December 31, 2022, we had approximately 129,700 active full-time equivalent employees, approximately 87% of whom were represented by various labor unions responsible for negotiating the collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) governing their compensation and job duties, among other things.
Labor relations in the air transportation industry are regulated under the Railway Labor Act (RLA), which vests in the National Mediation Board (NMB) certain functions with respect to disputes between airlines and labor unions relating to union representation and CBAs.
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The following table shows our domestic airline employee groups that are represented by unions:
Union Class or Craft Employees (1)
Contract
Amendable Date
Mainline:
Allied Pilots Association (APA) Pilots 13,450 2020
Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) Flight Attendants 23,200 2019
Airline Customer Service Employee Association – Communications Workers of America and International Brotherhood of Teamsters (CWA-IBT)
Passenger Service 14,650 2020
Transport Workers Union and International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (TWU-IAM Association)
Mechanics and Related 11,850 2025
TWU-IAM Association Fleet Service 18,700 2025
TWU-IAM Association Stock Clerks 1,950 2025
TWU-IAM Association Flight Simulator Engineers 140 2025
TWU-IAM Association Maintenance Control Technicians 180 2025
TWU-IAM Association Maintenance Training Instructors 100 2025
Professional Airline Flight Control Association (PAFCA) Dispatchers 560 2025
Transport Workers Union (TWU) Flight Crew Training Instructors 390 2025
Envoy:
Air Line Pilots Associations (ALPA) Pilots 1,850 2029
Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA) Flight Attendants 1,800 2026
TWU Ground School Instructors 10 2027
TWU Mechanics and Related 1,150 2021
TWU Stock Clerks 120 2021
TWU Simulator Instructors 20 2026
TWU Fleet Service 3,950 2026
TWU Dispatchers 70 2025
Communications Workers of America (CWA) Passenger Service 6,500 2026
Piedmont:
ALPA Pilots 740 2029
AFA Flight Attendants 310 2026
International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) Mechanics and Related 400 2026
IBT Stock Clerks 60 2026
CWA Fleet and Passenger Service 6,300 2023
IBT Dispatchers 30 2025
ALPA Flight Crew Training Instructors 70 2029
PSA:
ALPA Pilots 1,550 2028
AFA Flight Attendants 1,200 2023
International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers (IAM)
Mechanics and Related 620 2022
TWU Dispatchers 50 2024
ALPA Flight Crew Training Instructors 120 2028
(1) Represents approximate number of active employees as of December 31, 2022.
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CBAs covering our mainline pilots, flight attendants and passenger service are now amendable and negotiations involving these workgroups continue. Among our wholly-owned regional subsidiaries, the Envoy mechanics and related, Envoy stock clerks and PSA mechanics and related have agreements that are now amendable and are engaged in traditional RLA negotiations.
For more discussion, see Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors – “ Union disputes, employee strikes and other labor-related disruptions, or our inability to otherwise maintain labor costs at competitive levels and hire and retain a sufficient number of employees may adversely affect our operations and financial performance .”
Aircraft Fuel
Our operations and financial results are materially affected by the availability and price of aircraft fuel, which represents one of the largest single cost items in our business. Based on our 2023 forecasted mainline and regional fuel consumption, we estimate that a one cent per gallon increase in the price of aircraft fuel would increase our 2023 annual fuel expense by approximately $40 million.
The following table shows annual aircraft fuel consumption and costs, including taxes, for our mainline and regional operations for 2022 and 2021 (gallons and aircraft fuel expense in millions).
Year Gallons Average Price
per Gallon Aircraft Fuel
Expense Percent of Total
Operating Expenses
2022 3,901 $3.54 $13,791 29%
2021 3,324 $2.04 $6,792 22%
As of December 31, 2022, we did not have any fuel hedging contracts outstanding to hedge our fuel consumption. Our current policy is not to enter into transactions to hedge our fuel consumption, although we review that policy from time to time based on market conditions and other factors. As such, and assuming we do not enter into any future transactions to hedge our fuel consumption, we will continue to be fully exposed to fluctuations in aircraft fuel prices.
Aircraft fuel prices have in the past, and may in the future, experience substantial volatility. We cannot predict the future availability, price volatility or cost of aircraft fuel. For more discussion, see Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors – “ Our business is very dependent on the price and availability of aircraft fuel. Continued periods of high volatility in fuel costs, increased fuel prices or significant disruptions in the supply of aircraft fuel could have a significant negative impact on consumer demand, our operating results and liquidity .”
Seasonality and Other Factors
Due to the greater demand for air travel during the summer months, revenues in the airline industry in the second and third quarters of the year tend to be greater than revenues in the first and fourth quarters of the year. General economic conditions, fears of terrorism or war, fare initiatives, fluctuations in fuel prices, labor actions, weather, natural disasters, outbreaks of disease and other factors could impact this seasonal pattern. Therefore, our quarterly results of operations are not necessarily indicative of operating results for the entire year, and historical operating results in a quarterly or annual period are not necessarily indicative of future operating results.
Domestic and Global Regulatory Landscape
General
Airlines are subject to extensive domestic and international regulatory requirements. Domestically, the DOT and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) exercise significant regulatory authority over air carriers.
The DOT, among other things, oversees and regulates domestic and international codeshare agreements, international route authorities, competition and consumer protection matters including accessibility, the display and sharing of ancillary fee information and refund practices. The Antitrust Division of the DOJ, along with the DOT in certain instances, have jurisdiction over airline antitrust matters.
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The FAA similarly exercises safety oversight and regulates most operational matters of our business, including how we operate and maintain our aircraft. FAA requirements cover, among other things, required technology and necessary onboard equipment; systems, procedures and training necessary to ensure the continuous airworthiness of our fleet of aircraft; safety measures and equipment; crew scheduling limitations and experience requirements; and many other technical aspects of airline operations. Additionally, our pilots and other employees are subject to rigorous certification standards, and our pilots and other crew members must adhere to flight time and rest requirements.
The FAA also controls the national airspace system, including operational rules and fees for air traffic control (ATC) services. The efficiency, reliability and capacity of the ATC network has a significant impact on our costs and on the timeliness of our operations.
The U.S. Postal Service has jurisdiction over certain aspects of the transportation of mail and related services.
Airport Access and Operations
Domestically, any U.S. airline authorized by the DOT is generally free to operate scheduled passenger service between any two points within the U.S. and its territories, with the exception of certain airports that require landing and take-off rights and authorizations (slots) and other facilities, and certain airports that impose geographic limitations on operations or curtail operations based on the time of day. Operations at three major domestic airports we serve (JFK and LGA in New York City, and DCA near Washington, D.C.) and many foreign airports we serve (including LHR) are regulated by governmental entities through allocations of slots or similar regulatory mechanisms that limit the rights of carriers to conduct operations at those airports. Each slot represents the authorization to land at or take off from the particular airport during a specified time period. In addition to slot restrictions, operations at DCA and LGA are also limited based on a so-called “perimeter rule” which generally limits the stage length of the flights that can be operated from those airports to 1,250 and 1,500 miles, respectively. Generally, our ability to retain slots is conditioned on the continued use of such slots, and in the absence of use, the slots are subject to forfeiture. In certain circumstances, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, regulators may issue slot waivers which temporarily suspend or amend slot usage requirements, and we have used slot waivers at times to reduce flying levels given limited demand for travel. We cannot guarantee that such waivers will be made available to us, or that upon expiration or cancellation of such waivers it will be economical for us to resume prior levels of flying to destinations where we have operated a reduced service. If we are forced to surrender slots, we may be unable to provide our desired level of service to or from certain destinations in the future. For more discussion, see Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors – “ If we are unable to obtain and maintain adequate facilities and infrastructure throughout our system and, at some airports, adequate slots, we may be unable to operate our existing flight schedule and to expand or change our route network in the future, which may have a material adverse impact on our operations.”
Our ability to provide service can also be impaired at airports, such as Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and LAX, where the airport gate and other facilities are currently inadequate to accommodate all of the service that we would like to provide, or airports such as Dallas Love Field Airport where we have no access to gates at all.
Existing law also permits domestic local airport authorities to implement procedures and impose restrictions designed to abate noise, provided such procedures and restrictions do not unreasonably interfere with interstate or foreign commerce or the national transportation system. In some instances, these restrictions have caused curtailments in service or increases in operating costs.
Airline Fares, Taxes and User Fees
Airlines are permitted to establish their own domestic fares without governmental regulation. The DOT maintains authority over certain international fares, rates and charges, but only applies this authority on a limited basis. In addition, international fares and rates are sometimes subject to the jurisdiction of the governments of the foreign countries which we serve.
Airlines are obligated to collect a federal excise tax, commonly referred to as the “ticket tax,” on domestic and international air transportation, and to collect other taxes and charge other fees, such as foreign taxes, security fees and passenger facility charges. Although these taxes and fees are not our operating expenses, they represent an additional cost to our customers. These taxes and fees are subject to increase from time to time.
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DOT Passenger Protection Rules
The DOT regulates airline interactions with passengers through the ticketing process, at the airport and onboard the aircraft. Among other things, these regulations govern how our fares are displayed online, required customer disclosures, access by disabled passengers, handling of long onboard flight delays and reporting of mishandled bags. In 2023, the DOT is expected to propose or implement a number of new disability regulations that will impact us, including rules for accessible lavatories on single-aisle aircraft, penalties for wheelchair loss or damage and prompt wheelchair assistance. The DOT is also expected to finalize rules requiring refunds for cancellations and significant delays and rules mandating the display of ancillary fees during the initial itinerary search.
International
International air transportation is subject to extensive government regulation, including aviation agreements between the U.S. and other countries or governmental authorities, such as the EU. Moreover, our alliances with international carriers may be subject to the jurisdiction and regulations of various foreign agencies. The U.S. government has negotiated “open skies” agreements with 131 trading partners, which allow unrestricted route authority access between the U.S. and the foreign markets.
In addition, foreign countries impose passenger protection rules, which are analogous to, and often meet or exceed the requirements of, the DOT passenger protection rules discussed above. In cases where these foreign requirements exceed the DOT rules, we may bear additional burdens and liabilities. Further, various foreign airport authorities impose noise and curfew restrictions at their local airports.
Security
Substantially all aspects of civil aviation security in the U.S. or affecting U.S. carriers are controlled or regulated by the federal government through the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Requirements include flight deck security; carriage of federal air marshals at no charge; enhanced security screening of passengers, baggage, cargo, mail, employees and vendors; fingerprint-based background checks of all employees and vendor employees with access to secure areas of airports; and the provision of certain passenger data to the federal government and other international border security authorities, for security and immigration controls. Funding for the TSA is provided by a combination of air carrier fees, passenger fees and taxpayer funds. Customs and Border Protection, which, like the TSA, is part of the Department of Homeland Security, also promulgates requirements, performs services and collects fees that impact our provision of services. Additionally, we have at times found it necessary or desirable to make significant expenditures to comply with security-related requirements while seeking to reduce their impact on our customers, such as expenditures for automated security screening lines at airports. Our international service further requires us to comply with the civil aviation security regimes imposed at the foreign airports we serve.
Environmental Matters
Environmental Regulation
The airline industry is subject to various laws and government regulations concerning environmental matters in the U.S. and other countries. U.S. federal laws that have a particular impact on our operations include the Airport Noise and Capacity Act of 1990, the Clean Air Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (Superfund Act). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other federal agencies have been authorized to promulgate regulations that have an impact on our operations. In addition to these federal activities, various states have been delegated certain authorities under the aforementioned federal statutes. Many state and local governments have adopted environmental laws and regulations which are similar to or stricter than federal requirements.
Revised underground storage tank regulations issued by the EPA in 2015 have affected certain airport fuel hydrant systems, with modifications of such systems needed in order to comply with applicable portions of the revised regulations. In addition, related to the EPA and state regulations pertaining to storm water management, several U.S. airport authorities are actively engaged in efforts to limit discharges of deicing fluid into the environment, often by requiring airlines to participate in the building or reconfiguring of airport deicing facilities. Additionally, compliance with updated federal and state regulations governing fire extinguishing foams are expected to require modification to fire suppression systems that we operate, as well as those maintained by airports. We are evaluating the costs and potential impacts to our business of complying with these new regulations. On November 23, 2022, the EPA also published the final rule for particulate matter emission standards and test procedures for civil aircraft engines, which took effect on December 23, 2022.
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The environmental laws to which we are subject include those related to responsibility for potential soil and groundwater contamination. We are conducting investigation and remediation activities to address soil and groundwater conditions at several sites, including airports and maintenance bases. We presently anticipate that the ongoing costs of such activities will not have a material impact on our operations.
We employ an environmental management system that provides a systematic approach for compliance with environmental regulations and management of a broad range of environmental issues, including but not limited to air emissions, hazardous waste, underground tanks, and aircraft water quality.
Aircraft Emissions and Climate Change Requirements
American is subject to the requirements of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), an international, market-based emissions reduction program adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 2016. CORSIA is intended to achieve carbon-neutral growth in the international aviation sector from 2021 through 2035 by requiring airlines to compensate for the growth in carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions, relative to a predetermined baseline determined by ICAO, of a significant majority of international flights through the purchase of carbon offsets or the use of low-carbon fuels.
Currently, we expect to be required to purchase carbon offset credits to comply with CORSIA’s first “implementation phase” (2024-2026). We do not expect to be required to purchase carbon offset credits beforehand, unless during 2023 the demand for international travel is stronger than expected and exceeds that of 2019.
Our future costs of CORSIA compliance are uncertain because of the difficulty in estimating the return of demand for international air travel in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainty with respect to the future supply and price of carbon offset credits and lower-carbon aircraft fuels.
In January 2021, the EPA adopted GHG emission standards for new aircraft engines, which are aligned with the 2017 ICAO aircraft engine GHG emission standards. Like the ICAO standards, the final EPA standards for new aircraft engines would not apply retroactively to engines already on in-service aircraft. These final standards have been challenged by several states and environmental groups, and the Biden Administration has issued an executive order requiring a review of these final standards. On November 15, 2021, the EPA announced that it would not rewrite the existing aircraft engine GHG emissions standards but would seek more for ambitious new aircraft GHG emission standards within the ICAO process. The outcome of the legal challenge and whether there will be any development of new aircraft GHG emissions standards cannot be predicted at this time.
The EC’s ReFuelEU Aviation initiative (part of its “Fit for 55” program) included a proposal for the creation of a SAF blending mandate for aviation fuel suppliers set at 2% beginning in 2025 and rising to 63% by 2050, among other requirements. The European Parliament (which has proposed stricter targets in relation to SAF blending percentages for 2050) and the European Council have adopted initial negotiating positions with respect to the ReFuelEU Aviation initiative and are currently in negotiations in relation to the final text of the proposed regulation. Individual EU member states have been developing their own requirements including, for example, a 1% SAF mandate in France that came into force on January 1, 2022. Whether and in what form these regulations will be finalized and the potential effects on our business are uncertain at this time.
All such climate change-related regulatory activity and developments may adversely affect our business and financial results by requiring us to reduce our emissions before cost-effective emissions reduction technologies are available, for example, through requirements to make capital investments to purchase specific types of equipment or technologies, purchase carbon offset credits or otherwise incur additional costs related to our emissions. Such activity may also impact us indirectly by increasing our operating costs, including fuel costs.
For more information on our approach to ESG issues, see our 2021 ESG Report at our website www . aa.com under “Environmental, Social and Governance.” None of the information or contents of our 2021 ESG Report are incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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Impact of Regulatory Requirements on Our Business
Regulatory requirements, including but not limited to those discussed above, affect operations and increase operating costs for the airline industry, including our airline subsidiaries, and future regulatory developments may continue to do the same. For additional information, see Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors – “ Evolving data security and privacy requirements (in particular, compliance with applicable federal, state and foreign laws relating to handling of personal information about individuals) could increase our costs, and any significant data security or privacy incident could disrupt our operations, harm our reputation, expose us to legal risks and otherwise materially adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition,” “If we are unable to obtain and maintain adequate facilities and infrastructure throughout our system and, at some airports, adequate slots, we may be unable to operate our existing flight schedule and to expand or change our route network in the future, which may have a material adverse impact on our operations,” “Our business is subject to extensive government regulation, which may result in increases in our costs, disruptions to our operations, limits on our operating flexibility, reductions in the demand for air travel, and competitive disadvantages,” “The airline industry is heavily taxed, ” “We are subject to many forms of environmental and noise regulation and may incur substantial costs as a result,” and “We are subject to risks associated with climate change, including increased regulation of our CO 2 emissions, changing consumer preferences and the potential increased impacts of severe weather events on our operations and infrastructure.”
Available Information
Use of Websites to Disclose Information
Our website is located at www.aa.com . We have made and expect in the future to make public disclosures to investors and the general public of information regarding AAG and its subsidiaries by means of the investor relations section of our website as well as through the use of our social media sites, including Facebook and Twitter. In order to receive notifications regarding new postings to our website, investors are encouraged to enroll on our website to receive automatic email alerts (see https://americanairlines.gcs-web.com/email-alerts ), “follow” American (@AmericanAir) on Twitter and “like” American on our Facebook page ( www.facebook.com/AmericanAirlines ). None of the information or contents of our website or social media postings is incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Availability of SEC Reports
A copy of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports are available free of charge on our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. The SEC also maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC at www.sec.gov .
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GLOSSARY OF TERMS
“2013 Credit Agreement” means the Amended and Restated Credit and Guaranty Agreement dated as of May 21, 2015, among American, AAG, the lenders from time to time party thereto, Deutsche Bank AG New York Branch, as administrative agent, and certain other parties thereto, as amended.
“2013 Credit Facilities” means the 2013 Revolving Facility and 2013 Term Loan Facility provided for by the 2013 Credit Agreement.
“2013 Plan” means the AAG 2013 Incentive Award Plan.
“2013 Revolving Facility” means the revolving credit facility provided for by the 2013 Credit Agreement.
“2013 Term Loan Facility” means the term loan facility provided for under the 2013 Credit Agreement.
“2014 Credit Agreement” means the Amended and Restated Credit and Guaranty Agreement, dated as of April 20, 2015, among American, AAG, the lenders from time to time party thereto, Citibank N.A., as administrative agent, and certain other parties thereto, as amended.
“2014 Credit Facilities” means the 2014 Revolving Facility and the 2014 Term Loan Facility provided for by the 2014 Credit Agreement.
“2014 Revolving Facility” means the revolving credit facility provided for by the 2014 Credit Agreement.
“2014 Term Loan Facility” means the term loan facility provided for by the 2014 Credit Agreement.
“2020 JFK Bonds” means special facility revenue bonds issued on behalf of American by NYTDC in June 2020.
“2021 Form 10-K” means AAG’s and American’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021.
“2021 JFK Bonds” means special facility revenue bonds NYTDC issued in June 2021.
“2021-1 Aircraft” means the 26 aircraft financed or to be financed by American under the 2021-1 Aircraft EETCs.
“2021-1 Aircraft EETCs” means the two pass-through trusts created by American in November 2021 that have issued approximately $960 million aggregate face amount of Series 2021-1 Class A and Class B EETCs.
“2026 Notes” means the AAdvantage Issuers' 5.50% senior secured notes due 2026.
“2029 Notes” means the AAdvantage Issuers' 5.75% senior secured notes due 2029.
“3.75% Senior Notes” mean 3.75% senior notes due 2025 with an aggregate principal amount of $500 million.
“5.000% Senior Notes” means the 5.000% senior notes due in 2022 with an aggregate principal amount of $750 million.
“10.75% Senior Secured Notes” means, collectively, the LGA/DCA Notes and the IP Notes.
“10.75% Senior Secured Notes Closing Date” means September 25, 2020.
“10.75% Senior Secured Notes Collateral” means the IP Collateral and LGA/DCA Collateral.
“11.75% Senior Secured Notes” means the 11.75% senior secured notes due in 2025 with an aggregate principal amount of $2.5 billion.
“11.75% Senior Secured Notes Collateral” means the First Lien 11.75% Senior Secured Notes Collateral and the Second Lien 11.75% Senior Secured Notes Collateral.
“AAdvantage” means the AAdvantage ® frequent flyer program.
“AAdvantage Agreements” means the AAdvantage program agreements provided as collateral under the AAdvantage Financing.
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“AAdvantage Collateral” means the AAdvantage Agreements (including all payments thereunder) and rights under an intercompany agreement and American’s rights to certain data and other intellectual property used in the AAdvantage program (subject to certain exceptions), certain rights under the AAdvantage program, certain deposit accounts that will receive cash under the AAdvantage Agreements, certain reserve accounts, the equity of each of Loyalty Issuer and the SPV Guarantors and substantially all other assets of Loyalty Issuer and the SPV Guarantors.
“AAdvantage Financing” means, collectively, the AAdvantage Notes and the AAdvantage Term Loan Facility.
“AAdvantage Financing Closing Date” means March 24, 2021.
“AAdvantage Guarantees” means the AAdvantage Note Guarantees, together with the full and unconditional guarantee of the AAdvantage Loans by the AAdvantage Guarantors.
“AAdvantage Guarantors” means the SPV Guarantors and AAG.
“AAdvantage Indenture” means the indenture, dated as of March 24, 2021, by and among the AAdvantage Issuers, the AAdvantage Guarantors and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee and as collateral custodian.
“AAdvantage Issuers” means the Loyalty Issuer and American.
“AAdvantage Loans” means the $3.5 billion of term loans provided pursuant to the AAdvantage Term Loan Facility.
“AAdvantage Note Guarantees” means the full and unconditional guarantee of the AAdvantage Notes by the AAdvantage Guarantors.
“AAdvantage Notes” means, collectively, the 2026 Notes and the 2029 Notes.
“AAdvantage Payment Date” means, with respect to the payment of interest on the AAdvantage Notes and AAdvantage Loans, the 20th day of each January, April, July and October.
“AAdvantage Term Loan Facility” means the $3.5 billion term loan facility provided pursuant to the term loan credit and guaranty agreement, dated as of March 24, 2021, with Barclays Bank PLC, as administrative agent, Wilmington Trust, National Association, as collateral administrator, and the lenders party thereto.
“AAG”, “we”, “us”, “our” and similar terms means American Airlines Group Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.
“AAL” means the trading symbol under which AAG common stock is listed and traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market.
“AFA” means Association of Flight Attendants-CWA.
“Air Wisconsin” means Air Wisconsin Airlines LLC.
“ALPA” means Air Line Pilots Association.
“American” means American Airlines, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of AAG.
“American Eagle” means our regional carriers, including our wholly-owned regional carriers Envoy, PSA and Piedmont, as well as third-party regional carriers including Air Wisconsin, Mesa, Republic and SkyWest.
“AMR” or “AMR Corporation” means AMR Corporation and is used to reference AAG during the period of time prior to its emergence from Chapter 11 and the Merger.
“AOCI” means accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).
“APA” means Allied Pilots Association.
“APFA” means Association of Professional Flight Attendants.
“April 2016 Credit Agreement” means the Credit and Guaranty Agreement, dated as of April 29, 2016, among American, AAG, the lenders from time to time party thereto, Barclays Bank PLC, as administrative agent, and certain other parties thereto, as amended.
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“April 2016 Credit Facilities” means the April 2016 Revolving Facility and April 2016 Spare Parts Term Loan Facility provided for by the 2016 Credit Agreement.
“April 2016 Revolving Facility” means the revolving credit facility provided for by the April 2016 Credit Agreement.
“April 2016 Spare Parts Term Loan Facility” means the term loan facility provided for by the April 2016 Credit Agreement.
“ARP” means the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
“ASM” means available seat mile and is a basic measure of production. One ASM represents one seat flown one mile.
“ASU” means Accounting Standards Update.
“ATC” means air traffic control.
“ATC system” means the U.S. National Airspace System.
“Aviation Act” means subtitle VII of Title 49 of the United States Code, as amended.
“Bankruptcy Court” means the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.
“Base Indenture” means the indenture, dated as of June 25, 2020, between AAG and the Convertible Notes Trustee.
“BOS” means Boston Logan International Airport.
“Bylaws” means AAG’s Amended and Restated Bylaws, as amended.
“CARES Act” means the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
“CASM” means total operating cost per available seat mile and is equal to total operating expenses divided by ASMs.
“CBAs” means collective bargaining agreements.
“CEO” means Chief Executive Officer.
“CFO” means Chief Financial Officer.
“China Southern Airlines” means China Southern Airlines Company Limited.
“CMA” means the United Kingdom Competition and Markets Authority.
“CO 2 ” means carbon dioxide.
“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
“Company” means AAG and its consolidated subsidiaries.
“Convertible Notes” means AAG’s 6.50% convertible senior notes due 2025.
“Convertible Notes Indenture” means the Base Indenture and the Convertible Notes Supplemental Indenture.
“Convertible Notes Guarantee” means the full and unconditional guarantee of the Convertible Notes by American.
“Convertible Notes Supplemental Indenture” means the first supplemental indenture, dated as of June 25, 2020, among AAG, American and the Convertible Notes Trustee.
“Convertible Notes Trustee” means Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee with respect to the Convertible Notes.
“CORSIA” means the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation.
“COVID-19” refers to a respiratory illness first detected in 2019 and the ensuing global pandemic that remains ongoing as of the date of this report.
“Credit Facilities” means, collectively, the 2013 Credit Facilities, 2014 Credit Facilities and April 2016 Credit Facilities.
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“CWA” means Communications Workers of America.
“CWA-IBT” means the Airline Employees Customer Service Association – Communications Workers of America and International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
“DCA” means Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
“DCR” means disputed claims reserve, a reserve established by the Bankruptcy Court, pursuant to the Plan, to hold shares of AAG common stock for issuance to disputed claimholders as of the Effective Date or, alternatively, to former holders of AMR common stock or former holders of certain AMR convertible notes.
“DC Court” means the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia.
“December 2016 Credit Agreement” means the Credit and Guaranty Agreement dated as of December 15, 2016, among American, AAG, the lenders from time to time party thereto, Citibank N.A., as administrative agent, and certain other parties thereto, as amended.
“December 2016 Term Loan Facility” means the term loan facility provided for under the December 2016 Credit Agreement.
“DEI” means diversity, equity and inclusion.
“DOJ” means the United States Department of Justice.
“DOT” means the United States Department of Transportation.
“DOT Agreement” means the agreement reached between the DOT, American, and JetBlue in January 2021, following the termination of DOT’s review of the NEA.
“EC” means the European Commission.
“EETC” means enhanced equipment trust certificate.
“Effective Date” means December 9, 2013.
“Eighth Amendment” means the Eighth Amendment entered into in January 2020 to the 2014 Credit Agreement.
“Envoy” means Envoy Air Inc.
“EPA” means the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“EPS” means earnings (loss) per common share.
“ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended.
“Ethics Standards” means AAG’s and American’s Standards of Business Conduct.
“EU” means European Union.
"EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement" means the trade and cooperation agreement between the EU and United Kingdom.
"EWR" means Newark Liberty International Airport.
“Exchange Act” means Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
“FAA” means Federal Aviation Administration.
“First Lien 11.75% Senior Secured Notes Collateral” means certain assets, rights and properties utilized by American in providing its scheduled air carrier services to and from certain airports in the United States and certain airports in Australia, Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, and Switzerland which are used to secure the 11.75% Senior Secured Notes on a first-lien basis.
“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S.
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“GDS” means global distribution system.
“GHG” means greenhouse gas.
“GOL” means GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A.
“holdback” means an amount of cash held by our credit card processors in certain circumstances (including, with respect to certain agreements, our failure to maintain certain levels of liquidity).
“HoldCo2” means AAdvantage Holdings 2, Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company incorporated with limited liability and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of American and the direct parent of Loyalty Issuer.
“IAM” means International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers.
“IAM Pension Fund” means the IAM National Pension Fund.
“IBT” means International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
“ICAO” means International Civil Aviation Organization.
“IP Collateral” means certain intellectual property of American, including the “American Airlines” trademark and the “aa.com” domain name in the United States and certain foreign jurisdictions, to which American has given a first lien security interest to secure the IP Notes.
“IP Licenses” means the series of intercompany license agreements pursuant to which an exclusive, irrevocable (subject to certain termination rights), perpetual, worldwide, royalty-bearing sublicense to use American’s rights to certain data and other intellectual property used in the AAdvantage program (subject to certain exceptions) which was granted indirectly by Loyalty Issuer to American.
“IP Notes” means American’s $1.0 billion in initial principal amount of 10.75% senior secured IP notes.
“IP Notes Indenture” means the indenture, dated as of September 25, 2020, by and among American, AAG and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee and as collateral trustee, pursuant to which the IP Notes were issued.
“IRA” means the Inflation Reduction Act.
“JetBlue” means JetBlue Airways Corporation.
“JetSMART” means JetSmart Airlines SpA.
“JFK” means John F. Kennedy International Airport.
“LAWA” means the Los Angeles World Airports.
“LAX” means Los Angeles International Airport.
“LGA/DCA Collateral” means certain slots related to American’s operations at LGA and DCA and certain other assets that are used as (a) a first lien security interest to secure the LGA/DCA Notes and (b) a second lien security interest to secure the IP Notes.
“LGA/DCA Notes” means American’s $200 million in initial principal amount of 10.75% senior secured LGA/DCA notes.
“LGA/DCA Notes Indenture” means the indenture, dated as of September 25, 2020, by and among American, AAG and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee and as collateral trustee, pursuant to which the LGA/DCA Notes were issued.
“LGA” means LaGuardia Airport.
“LGW” or “London Gatwick” means London Gatwick Airport.
“LHR” or “London Heathrow” means London Heathrow Airport.
“LIBOR” means the London interbank offered rate for deposits of U.S. dollars.
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“Loyalty Issuer” means AAdvantage Loyalty IP Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company incorporated with limited liability and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of American and co-issuer of the AAdvantage Notes.
“LTV” means loan to value ratio.
“Mainline” means the operations of American and excludes regional operations.
“Merger” means the merger of US Airways Group and AMR Corporation on December 9, 2013.
“Mesa” means Mesa Airlines, Inc.
"NEA" means Northeast Alliance arrangement between American and JetBlue.
“NMB” means National Mediation Board.
“NOLs” means net operating losses.
“NYTDC” means the New York Transportation Development Corporation.
“ORD” means Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
“OSHA” means Occupational Health and Safety Administration.
“OTAs” means online travel agents.
“PAFCA” means Professional Airline Flight Control Association.
“Passenger load factor” means the percentage of available seats that are filled with revenue passengers.
“PCAOB” means the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in the U.S.
“PEB” means Presidential Emergency Board.
“PFAS” means per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
“Piedmont” means Piedmont Airlines, Inc.
“PRASM” means passenger revenue per available seat mile and is equal to passenger revenues divided by ASMs.
“Proxy Statement” means American Airlines Group Inc.’s Proxy Statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of American Airlines Group Inc., certain sections of which are incorporated by reference into this report.
“PSA” means PSA Airlines, Inc.
“PSP Agreements” means the payroll support program agreements entered into by the Subsidiaries with Treasury under the CARES Act, PSP Extension Law and ARP.
“PSP Financial Assistance” means the portion of financial assistance received from Treasury pursuant to the PSP Agreements that is not allocated to the PSP Warrants or the PSP Promissory Notes.
“PSP Promissory Notes” means the promissory notes issued to Treasury in connection with the PSP Agreements.
“PSP Warrants” means the warrants issued or to be issued to Treasury pursuant to the PSP Agreements.
“PSP1” means the payroll support program established under the CARES Act.
“PSP1 Promissory Note” means the promissory note issued to Treasury in connection with PSP1.
“PSP1 Warrant Agreement” means the agreement entered into between AAG and Treasury in connection with the Payroll Support Program Agreement entered into by the Subsidiaries with Treasury on April 20, 2020, pursuant to which AAG issued PSP1 Warrants to Treasury to purchase up to an aggregate of approximately 14.0 million shares of AAG common stock.
“PSP1 Warrants” means the warrants issued or to be issued to Treasury pursuant to the PSP1 Warrant Agreement.
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“PSP2” means the payroll support program established under the PSP Extension Law.
“PSP2 Promissory Note” means the promissory note issued to Treasury in connection with PSP2.
“PSP2 Warrant Agreement” means the agreement entered into between AAG and Treasury in connection with the Payroll Support Program Extension Agreement entered into by the Subsidiaries with Treasury on January 15, 2021, pursuant to which AAG issued PSP2 Warrants to Treasury to purchase up to an aggregate of approximately 6.6 million shares of AAG common stock.
“PSP2 Warrants” means the warrants issued or to be issued to Treasury pursuant to the PSP2 Warrant Agreement.
“PSP3” means the payroll support program established under the ARP.
“PSP3 Promissory Note” means the promissory note issued to Treasury in connection with PSP3.
“PSP3 Warrant Agreement” means the agreement entered into between AAG and Treasury in connection with the Payroll Support Program Agreement entered into by the Subsidiaries with Treasury on April 23, 2021, pursuant to which AAG issued PSP3 Warrants to Treasury to purchase up to an aggregate of approximately 4.4 million shares of AAG common stock.
“PSP3 Warrants” means the warrants issued or to be issued to Treasury pursuant to the PSP3 Warrant Agreement.
“PSP Extension Law” means Subtitle A of Title IV of Division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.
“Rehabilitation Plan” means the rehabilitation plan adopted by the IAM Pension Fund on April 17, 2019.
“Republic” means Republic Airways Inc.
“Republic Holdings” means Republic Airways Holdings Inc., the parent company of Republic.
“RLA” means Railway Labor Act.
“ROU” means right-of-use.
“RPM” or “RPMs” means revenue passenger mile or miles and is a basic measure of sales volume. One RPM represents one passenger flown one mile.
“RSUs” means restricted stock units.
“S&P” means Standard and Poor’s Financial Services, LLC.
“SAF” means sustainable aviation fuel.
“SAIB” means special airworthiness information bulletin.
“SBTi” means Science Based Targets initiative.
“SEC” means Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Second Lien 11.75% Senior Secured Notes Collateral” means certain assets, rights and properties utilized by American in providing its scheduled air carrier services to and from certain airports in the United States and certain airports in the European Union and the United Kingdom which are used to secure the 11.75% Senior Secured Notes on a second-lien basis.
“Section 382” means Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code.
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
“SkyWest” means SkyWest Airlines, Inc.
“slots” means landing and take-off rights and authorizations, as required by certain airports.
“SMS” means Safety Management System.
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“SOFR” means the Secured Overnight Financing Rate.
“SPV Guarantors” means AAdvantage Holdings 1, Ltd. a Cayman Islands exempted company incorporated with limited liability and a direct wholly-owned subsidiary of American, (ii) AAdvantage Holdings 2, Ltd., a Cayman Islands exempted company incorporated with limited liability and an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of American and the direct parent of Loyalty Issuer, and (iii) certain Luxembourg limited liability companies and partnerships that are direct or indirect subsidiaries of Loyalty Issuer and which fully and unconditionally guarantee the AAdvantage Financing.
“SRM” means Safety Risk Management.
“Subsidiaries” means American, Envoy, PSA and Piedmont, each a wholly-owned subsidiary of AAG.
“Superfund Act” means Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act.
“Tax Benefits Preservation Plan” means the tax benefits preservation plan adopted by the Board of Directors of AAG in December 2021 in order to preserve the Company’s ability to use its NOLs and certain other tax attributes to reduce potential future income tax obligations.
“TRASM” means the total revenue per available seat mile and is equal to the total revenues divided by total mainline and third-party regional carrier ASMs.
“Treasury” means the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
“Treasury Loan Agreement” means the Loan and Guarantee Agreement, dated as of September 25, 2020, between AAG, American and Treasury which provides for the Treasury Term Loan Facility.
“Treasury Loan Closing Date” means September 25, 2020.
“Treasury Loan Warrant Agreement” means the warrant agreement, dated as of September 25, 2020, between AAG and Treasury entered into in connection with the Treasury Loan Agreement, pursuant to which AAG issued Treasury Loan Warrants to Treasury to purchase shares of AAG common stock.
“Treasury Loan Warrants” means the warrants issued to Treasury pursuant to the Treasury Loan Warrant Agreement.
“Treasury Loan Warrant Shares” means the shares of AAG common stock which Treasury will have the right to purchase pursuant to Treasury Loan Warrants issued by AAG in accordance with the Treasury Loan Warrant Agreement.
“Treasury Term Loan Facility” means the term loan facility provided for under the Treasury Loan Agreement.
“TSA” means Transportation Security Administration.
“TWU” means Transport Workers Union.
“TWU-IAM Association” means Transport Workers Union and International Association of Machinists & Aerospace Workers.
“US Airways Group” means US Airways Group, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.
“Vertical” means Vertical Aerospace Ltd.
“Yield” means a measure of airline revenue derived by dividing passenger revenue by RPMs.
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