The American Airlines Group (AAL)’s mission statement is “To provide every citizen of the world with the best service of the air travel to the extensive selection of destination possible.”
The company has a long history of perseverance, as well as growth in providing services to the far ends of the earth. The challenges of the 21st century have had devastating effects on the company. However, they are not taking the beating, laying down. Their fiercely competitive business practices and endeavors to maintain progressive ethics may just be what pulls them through for years to come.
So, let’s start off by having a look at what we’re going to cover in this American Airlines Mission and Vision Statement Analysis.
Contents
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Vision
3 Core Values
- Corporate Governance
- Ethics and Human Rights
- Sustainability and Climate Change
- Customer Commitment
- Workforce Investments
- Community Engagement
4 Slogan
5 References
Introduction
AAL is just shy of a century old, as its first flight was flown on April 15, 1926, by Charles Lindbergh. It carried precious cargo; mail! The flight was from St. Louis, Missouri, to Chicago, Illinois.
The founder, C.R. Smith and Donald Douglas, created the DC-3 aircraft enabling the transportation of passengers. This commercial airplane was flown for the first time by AAL in 1936. By the late 1930s, AAL had begun trading in the New York Stock Exchange.
The first flight attendants!
By 1953, AAL had a non-stop transcontinental flight service, pioneered with the new and improved Douglas DC-7. A few years after, the airline started a flight attendant training facility, the first of its kind, known as the American Airlines Stewardess College, in Dallas/Fort Worth. The innovation did not stop there, as they introduced the Lockheed Electra, the first American-designed turboprop aircraft.
In 1964, AAL took the major leap forward in history, being the first commercial airline to hire an African-American pilot named Dave Harris. AAL merged with Trans Caribbean Airways, which offered them new and unique routes. A loyalty program was introduced in the early 1970s to promote air travel and loyalty to the airline.
The billionth customer…
The American Eagle Systems, or what we know today as a wholesale distributor of computers, peripheral computer equipment, and computer software, was introduced in 1984 by AAL. The airline once again expanded its routes by the end of the 1980s into Latin American territory.
AAL celebrated its billionth customer on March 27, 1991. It seems insane to think that one could, at one point, smoke anywhere you pleased. However, AAL banned smoking from all of its flights in 1997. The company had its sights set on acquiring Trans World Airlines assets in 2001; however, tragedy would strike later that year.
A great loss for all…
On September 11, 2001, the airline suffered a direct loss of 23 people, which included family members, flight staff, and pilots. This was during the heartbreaking events of flights 11 and 77. It is estimated that another 3000 people lost their lives that fateful day.
The airline was quiet for a while after but turned a new leaf in 2005 when they merged with America West. Ten years later, AAL is added to the S&P 500 index and unites with US Airways to become a single airline. The last of its MD-80 aircraft was retired after 36 years of service in 2019.
For Reference
| Name | American Airlines Group (AAL) |
| Industries served | Transportation |
| Geographic areas served | 50 Countries, Worldwide |
| Headquarters | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Current CEO (2023) | W. Douglas Parker |
| Revenue | $ 17.3 Billion (Fortune 500, 2021) |
| Profit | – $ 8.9 Billion (Fortune 500, 2021) |
| Employees | 102,700 (Fortune 500, 2021) |
Vision
The vision statement of AAL shows its inclination to provide the world with the most reliable and affordable airline while still maintaining high profits.
In a sense, it is understandable that the “first-class experience” is not obtainable to all passengers. However, the company aims to make each experience as special as possible, maintain exceptional standards of safety and care protocols, and still grow as a company.
The last few years may have thrown a wrench in the works, but one can remain hopeful that things will turn around for the company despite the pandemic.
Core Values
AAL is regulated by a strict code of ethics and with regards to their corporate and social responsibility, enforced by their body corporate.
Corporate governance
The company has its very own bylaws to ensure that protocols are followed to the letter and that all bases are covered. The board of directors consists of various members from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. All of them have exceptionally strong backgrounds in the corporate and financial industries.
Ethics and human rights
The company is incredibly invested in human rights and ethics, with efforts to slam down on one of the key dangers the transportation business faces; human trafficking and child exploitation. Their other areas of focus are to promote gender and racial equality among workers and customers.
Sustainability and climate change
As air travel emissions and fuel use have a huge impact on the planet, AAL strives to minimize this impact and to reduce its carbon footprint as much as possible.
Customer commitment
As the customers form a big part of their vision statement, it’s only natural that they are a key feature of the core value system. Reliable, safe, and excellent service is always the standard.
Workforce investments
As much as AAL invests in its workforce, it offers opportunities for the workforce to invest in themselves with upskilling, training, and competitive company benefits.
Community engagement
Millions of flight miles and thousands of man-hours are donated each year in service of the public, to uplift communities where needed. The company focuses on bringing goods to communities in need during disasters, promoting awareness and participating in fundraising for causes, and supporting US military members.
Slogan
In 2019, the company patented four new slogans, “To care for people on life’s journey,” “We fly, so you can soar,” “Our favorite destination is yours,” and “Time well spent.”
The company is known for changing its slogan every so often to reflect its current branding strategy. So, while being able to use various slogans depending on the campaign, its current slogan, introduced in 2021, hails “You are why we fly.”
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Final Thoughts
AAL has been there since the beginning and has remained at the forefront of innovation in commercial air travel. Not only did they stay ahead with advances in technology, but they also embraced progressive views.
Unfortunately, in 2021, the company sustained a loss of $8.9 billion in their 2020/2021 fiscal year. This was due to the effects of the pandemic restrictions. CEO Doug Parker stated, “American Airlines flew more customers than any other airline in 2020 and reduced its daily cash burn rate to about $30 million in the fourth quarter, down from nearly $100 million in April.”
He hoped that 2021 would bring recovery. Their next fiscal year did not start on a good note either, as traveling and tourism did not return to normal. It is unclear what the future holds for AAL, as airlines across the globe are facing unprecedented challenges.
Fly high and soar with your new career at American Airlines!