"We think it's going to be a good investment but it was largely done for the relationship," says Parker on the deal. They cannot form a joint venture because of the lack of open skies between China and the USA. That changed when American invested $200 million in China Southern Airlines in 2017, a move that is seen as the first step towards a strategic partnership between the carriers. Despite an 80% increase in seat capacity from 2011 to 2017, the carrier was at a disadvantage in the Chinese market because of its lack of a partner there, says Parker. "We're creating better connecting markets."Īmerican's network is extended further by its joint-venture partners, including British Airways and Japan Airlines, and potentially LATAM Airlines Group and Qantas in the near future.Īsia, however, remains the weakest region on American's map. "What we're doing is we're taking existing aircraft, increasing the utilisation and redeploying aircraft from markets that maybe aren't doing quite as well to places where we know we can do well where we have real strategic advantage," said Parker during American's 2017 earnings call in January. The majority of these connect the dots across American's network, such as Dallas/Fort Worth and Asheville, and Philadelphia and Oklahoma City, but a few, including Missoula, in Montana, Panama City (Florida) and South Bend (Indiana), aim to boost profitable connections over its hubs. That growth continues this year, with 52 new routes set to begin by summer. A concerted effort since to expand in Asia has seen it fill the largest gap in the combined international network. While American offered an expansive domestic network and broad international service prior to its reorganisation, the US Airways merger catapulted it to the top spot in the USA. That statement is truer today than ever before. "We are a global network carrier," Doug Parker, chairman and chief executive of American, tells FlightGlobal at the airline's headquarters a few kilometres from Dallas/Fort Worth International airport. From its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in 2011 to its merger with US Airways two years later, followed by the subsequent integration of the two carriers, American today is almost unrecognisable. Airline Business special: CEOs to watch in 2021Īmerican Airlines has changed dramatically in the past few years.FlightGlobal Guide to Business Aviation Training and Safety 2021.EDGE: A new global force in aerospace and defence.Shell Aviation: What will it take to Decarbonise Aviation?.
What does the future of aviation look like in 2022?.Guide to Business Aviation Training and Safety 2022.What will it take to Decarbonise Aviation?.Airline Business Covid-19 recovery tracker.
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