American Airlines proudly celebrates the 100 2024 recipients of its most prestigious career achievement award — the Circle of Excellence — for their significant contributions to operational excellence, customer service and community engagement. These team members embody American’s core values, demonstrating outstanding leadership, innovative strategies and a relentless pursuit of excellence, which served as a driving force behind every success. This year’s winners have joined the ranks of honorees who set the gold standard.

Many of the honorees were humbled to learn they had been selected as recipients of this notable award. It was a moment of immense pride that recognized the significance of their profound journeys and collective efforts throughout their careers. Meredith Green, Premium Guest Services Manager at SFO, said, “This award was a complete surprise. Most of my career has been spent leading teams and my focus has been on developing and recognizing the accomplishments of others. Knowing my teams in both SFO and HNL nominated me is truly an honor.”

More than 1,300 nominations were submitted from team members across the organization. A panel of former honorees and leaders completes a rigorous evaluation of each entry to select the top 100 achievers. Each year, American celebrates its newest inductees at an awards ceremony at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas where American’s senior leaders, including CEO Robert Isom, celebrate their successes and support their continued growth. The two-day celebration also includes an exclusive brunch and a tour of the Robert L. Crandall Campus in Fort Worth, Texas. All winners also receive a commemorative pin, a trophy and $10,000.

Meredith Green, Premium Guest Services Manager SFO, receives her award honoring her incredible impact over 52 years of service. Her career follows in the footsteps of her father, G.E Coon, VP of American Airlines SFO in 1959. She continues a tradition of dedication and excellence across generations.

Robert expressed his gratitude for the lasting impact these team members have made on the company and in their communities:

“The achievements of our Circle of Excellence honorees reflect the core values of American Airlines. They embody the very best of what we stand for as an organization. Their unwavering commitment to excellence has shaped our success, inspired their colleagues and strengthened our global community. They are the foundation of our legacy and the drivers of our future.”

Aviation Maintenance Technician Tony Cordova receives his award recognizing career achievements spanning more than 30 years. Tony helps maintain the health of American’s fleet at the Tulsa maintenance base. He makes it his personal mission to safely put aircraft back in service in a timely manner. To Tony, it’s all in a day’s work, but his peers and leaders call his skills an art form and celebrate his commitment to excellence.

Together, the honorees bring an astounding 2,500 years of collective service with an average of 25 years. These extraordinary individuals come from across the globe representing seven countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Greece, Japan, Paris, Peru and Mexico. Their contributions have shaped our company and advanced our mission in every corner of the world. This milestone is a testament to the culture of excellence fostered at American.

Photo provided by @flyingboeing787 on Instagram

FORT WORTH, Texas — American Airlines is ready to close out 2024 by welcoming nearly 12.7 million customers across more than 118,000 flights for winter holiday travel. This comes after the airline delivered strong operational performance during the Thanksgiving holiday travel period, including leading the industry in on-time departures.

“American delivered industry-leading operational performance over Thanksgiving, and I’d like to thank our team members for their hard work in safely caring for our customers,” said David Seymour, American’s Chief Operating Officer. “We look forward to continuing that momentum as millions once again take to the skies for holiday gatherings and winter vacations.”

American’s operation has been fully winterized to safely and successfully operate this winter. The airline’s deicing operation is also ready and is already well underway at many cold-weather airports.

During the 2024 Thanksgiving travel period, American canceled the fewest mainline flights compared to its major network competitors. There were four days during the travel period when the airline did not cancel a single mainline flight, three days when the airline didn’t cancel a single regional flight and one day when the airline did not cancel a mainline or regional flight.

6 quick facts about American’s winter holiday operation:

• American’s travel period runs from Dec. 18, 2024, to Jan. 6, 2025.
• The most-traveled day will be Friday, Dec. 27, while the second-most traveled day is Friday, Dec. 20.
• 1,500 mainline and regional aircraft will travel more than 102 million miles during the travel period. That’s nearly 1.1 trillion candy canes laid end to end.
• During the winter holiday period, American will serve more than 6.6 million bags of pretzels.
• The peak of peak: 1,074 mainline and regional aircraft are scheduled to be enroute at 12:40 p.m. CT on Sunday, Dec. 22, the highest number of flights handled at any given time during the period.
• During last year’s holiday season, American customers watched nearly 20 million minutes of holiday-themed movies and TV shows while in flight. The airline will once again offer a collection of top holiday content for our customers to enjoy during their travels.

More 2024 customer stats can be found in the American Airlines Rewind.

Download PDF

American encourages customers to follow these tips:

Travel starts before you leave home.

• Make sure you’ve downloaded the American Airlines app, use it to check in for your flight, check flight status and add bags to your trip. This will save you time at the airport.
• If you haven’t already, join the AAdvantage® travel rewards program for free and add your member number to your trip. This will help you earn miles for future free travel and lock in earlier boarding. AAdvantage® members can also use the app to track their Loyalty Points earned toward AAdvantage® status.
• If traveling internationally, download the Mobile Passport Control app, which can speed up your entry into the U.S. Global Entry members can download the Global Entry app, which allows you to submit your entry upon landing which then allows you to go straight to the officer bypassing the kiosks.

Your American Airlines app is the ticket to an easy experience at the airport.

• Use the app to find information about your journey, including flight status, connecting gate, baggage tracking and where to claim your bags.
• Upon arrival at the airport lobby, scan your mobile boarding pass to print bag tags quickly at a kiosk. If you’re not checking bags, go straight to TSA security with your mobile boarding pass.
• Use the maps feature in the app to help navigate many of the airports to which American flies, including how to find the nearest Admirals Club® location.
• Have a question? Chat live with someone about your travel 24/7 through the app.

About American Airlines Group
As a leading global airline, American Airlines offers thousands of flights per day to more than 350 destinations in more than 60 countries. The airline is a founding member of the oneworld® alliance, whose members serve more than 900 destinations around the globe. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL. Learn more about what’s happening at American by visiting news.aa.com and connect with American @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines. To Care for People on Life’s Journey^®.

• For the 2025 program year, status and reward levels will stay the same, making it straightforward for members to achieve or retain status.
• New Loyalty Point Reward choices make the entire travel journey even more personalized.
• Members enjoy even more ways to use their miles, including for food and beverage purchases in flight.
• Members have more time to use systemwide upgrades.
• Higher Million Miler ^TM statuses land soon, bringing lifetime** status to some members.

FORT WORTH, Texas — American Airlines continues to make the AAdvantage® program more rewarding for its members as it updates the industry’s longest-running loyalty program for 2025. For the second year in a row, the requirements for status and reward levels will remain the same, making it straightforward to achieve or retain status and all its benefits.

“We’ve evolved the AAdvantage program over the last few years to be easy to understand and to engage with, all with the goal of delivering the best and most rewarding experience possible for our members,” said Scott Chandler, American’s Senior Vice President of Revenue Management and Loyalty. “We’ve heard fantastic feedback from our members about the creative ways we’ve given them to earn and redeem miles, and we’re continuing to do so.”

No changes to reach status and unlock Loyalty Point Rewards

Members will continue to enjoy rewards before, between and beyond status levels as they unlock Loyalty Point Rewards, starting at just 15,000 Loyalty Points — well before a member even reaches AAdvantage Gold® status at 40,000 Loyalty Points.

“We take our commitments to our members seriously, which includes ensuring that we’re able to deliver on all the benefits that come with each status level and Loyalty Point Reward,” Chandler continued. “Our members love tracking their progress toward status and rewards, so we know they’ll be pleased that levels will remain the same moving into the new year.”

Learn more about the AAdvantage program

Resources

More choices for Loyalty Point Rewards

American continues to give members more choices to personalize their rewards and choose what matters most to them.

Members can choose new rewards in 2025, including:

• The option to select a personalized, collectable luggage tag* when the member reaches 15,000 Loyalty Points — even before they reach status! This choice is in addition to several other options members can enjoy, including Preferred Seat coupons, Priority boarding privileges and more.
• As announced in October, AAdvantage® members who link their accounts will be able to choose World of Hyatt awards at various levels in Loyalty Point Rewards, including unlocking World of Hyatt status opportunities or the ability to redeem miles for World of Hyatt Free Night Awards.
• The option to support the use of Sustainable Aviation Fuel in the airline’s operation beginning at 175,000 Loyalty Points. This choice replaces the previous carbon offset choice.

More ways to use AAdvantage miles

Coming in 2025, members will be able to use their AAdvantage® miles for food and beverage purchases on eligible flights.

This new way to use miles toward food and beverage during a flight is in addition to more choices American has introduced over the last several months to help members enhance their experiences — both during and outside of travel:

• Members can redeem miles for an inflight Wi-Fi session on most of the airline’s narrowbody aircraft and some widebody aircraft, with more to come in the future.
• Beginning at AAdvantage Platinum Pro® status, members can redeem miles for access to American’s Flagship® First Dining ahead of eligible flights.
• Members can purchase an Admirals Club® One Day Pass or Flagship® Lounge single visit pass with miles.
• Members can enjoy unique experiences and events by using miles to purchase tickets for concerts and professional sports games.

More time to use systemwide upgrades

In the last several weeks, American has introduced the ability for AAdvantage® members who have earned systemwide upgrades to request to use them online, simplifying the ability to confirm an upgrade on their trip.

Starting March 1, 2025, members will have more time to use their systemwide upgrades, which will be valid through the status membership year.

New Million Miler lifetime** status levels

To reward the loyalty of American’s most frequent fliers, the airline is adding new lifetime** status levels starting March 1, 2025:

• Members who fly 4 million miles will receive lifetime** AAdvantage Platinum Pro® status.
• Members who fly 5 million miles will receive lifetime** AAdvantage Executive Platinum® status.

These new lifetime status levels are in addition to lifetime** AAdvantage Gold® status members receive when they fly 1 million miles and lifetime** AAdvantage Platinum® status members receive when they fly 2 million miles.

American will continue to evolve its industry-leading travel rewards program to deliver more value and customizable experiences for AAdvantage® members.

Tell Me Why: ‘We’re making loyalty even more rewarding.’ — Scott Chandler

In the latest episode of Tell Me Why, Scott Chandler, Senior Vice President of Revenue Management and Loyalty, join Ron DeFeo, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, to share exciting updates to the AAdvantage® program. From getting to use your miles onboard to keeping it straightforward to earn status discover how we’re making loyalty more rewarding for our customers.

Listen to the podcast:

Watch the video:

About American Airlines Group
As a leading global airline, American Airlines offers thousands of flights per day to more than 350 destinations in more than 60 countries. The airline is a founding member of the oneworld® alliance, whose members serve more than 900 destinations around the globe. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL. Learn more about what’s happening at American by visiting news.aa.com and connect with American @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines. To Care for People on Life’s Journey^®.

_{*While supplies last
**For the life of the member and only so long as the AAdvantage Gold®, AAdvantage Platinum®, AAdvantage Platinum Pro® or AAdvantage Executive Platinum® programs exist.}

Together with the Female Founder Collective (FFC) and Nyakio Grieco, founder of beauty retailer and amenity kit partner Thirteen Lune, American Airlines and its AAdvantage Business™ program recently chatted business travel at the second annual FFC Nette Retreat. The gathering of approximately 50 high-growth female founders revealed the importance of in-person interaction and relationship building required to secure funding and other resources for their businesses.

More than 60% of the busy executives estimate they travel five to 10 days per month. When choosing an airline for all that travel, their decision is based on an airline’s reliability, followed closely by an airline that rewards their company for their loyalty.

“Creating and harvesting in-person relationships with investors and partners has been absolutely critical in growing Thirteen Lune, which inherently means that I often have to hop on a plane to attend meetings, network at events or close a deal,” said Grieco, who founded Thirteen Lune in 2020 and has been traveling with American and its partners since her first flight to Kenya as a child.

American’s collaboration with Thirteen Lune gives the airline the opportunity to cycle new brands and products within the kits for customers in all premium cabins, creating a unique experience for customers to enjoy.

Amenity kit developed by Thirteen Lune, along with an assortment of beauty products from brands represented at the FFC Nette retreat.

“Partnering with American to curate the skincare in more than 3 million amenity kits each year was a truly full-circle moment for me, remembering that first flight so many years ago and then knowing Thirteen Lune would be flying across the globe on the same airline that always brings me home to Kenya, where I’ve learned so many beauty secrets over the years,” added Grieco.

American is committed to creating a memorable and enjoyable travel journey for all customers that is rooted in customer feedback. Creating products and services with a wide range of options allows the airline to deliver choice and variety for each type of customer, which today encompasses individuals from various generations and backgrounds.

“The thrill of travel is in the discovery of something new — food, language, landscapes and so much more. American is always looking for ways to expand those opportunities for discovery, well before our customers get to their destination,” said Kim Cisek, American’s Vice President of Customer Experience. “Thanks to Thirteen Lune, our customers are treated to a rotation of new brands and products they may have never considered before. We hope that not only opens their minds to integrating these products into their everyday lives but also helps make their travel journey with American that much more memorable.”

In addition to elevating Thirteen Lune to millions of customers aboard long-haul and international flights, American’s AAdvantage Business™ program empowers businesses with a suite of tools to streamline booking and travel management. Companies earn miles from business travel, and travelers who register with the program earn more rewards when traveling for business.

More than 30% of female founders attending the FFC Nette Retreat said that loyalty rewards, such as those offered by the AAdvantage Business™program, play a role in determining what airline they and their employees travel.

AAdvantage Business™ benefits include:

• The ability for businesses to earn one mile for every dollar spent on eligible travel with American (less taxes and fees) and offer their travelers a faster path toward personal AAdvantage® status
• A convenient suite of tools to simply travel management, including reporting and controls to help optimize business travel spend
• An opportunity to offset business travel expenses by using miles for flights, upgrades, rental cars, hotels and more

“While the future of work allows for an incredible amount to be accomplished remotely, there is still nothing that can replace the connection that happens in real life. As a business owner, the airplane has become a second office — but also, it’s the sign and vehicle to the best opportunities,” said Alison Wyatt, co-founder and CEO of the Female Founder Collective. “That’s why FFC couldn’t be happier to have partnered with American Airlines, where together we are able to quite literally get women founders where they need to go in order to succeed.”

Interested in rewarding your business and travelers through the AAdvantage Business™ program? Enrolling is easy at aadvantagebusiness.aa.com.

As we make our final descent on 2024, American Airlines will have flown more than 2.1 million flights across 1.8 billion miles — enough to go around the Earth nearly 74,000 times.

American has offered more than 275 million seats across all those flights, but it’s the numbers behind the numbers that give a peek into travelers’ journeys throughout the year.

Customers are eagerly taking advantage of the countless choices American offers both before and during their travels.

• Many of American’s customers arrive at the airport ready for a pick-me-up, as the airline served more than 594,000 espressos in its nearly 50 lounges.
• Cheers! Admirals Club^® and Flagship^® Lounge bartenders served more than 420,000 complimentary glasses of sparkling wine to guests 21 and older.
• Hungry in flight? American orders almost 124 million packs of Biscoff^® cookies each year and caters an average of nearly 6,000 carts each day.
• Once settled on board, action flicks are the most popular movie genre for customers to watch, while those opting for TV shows prefer comedy.
• Over 3 million amenity kits — with curated skincare by Thirteen Lune — treated customers on long-haul and international flights to/from such destinations as London; Buenos Aires, Argentina and Brisbane, Australia.

And where is everyone going? American flies to more than 350 destinations in more than 60 countries, but some spots emerged in 2024 as clear favorites.

• ¡Mi amor! The top three destinations for couples are Cancun, Mexico; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Las Vegas, while the hot spots for families are Cancun, Orlando, Florida; and London.
• Orlando, Boston and Austin, Texas, are the top three domestic destinations for AAdvantage^® members redeeming their miles, while London, Cancun and San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, are the three most popular international choices for miles redemption.
• Customers traveling to Athens, Greece; Rome and Naples, Italy, can’t wait to buckle those belts. These destinations are booked the furthest in advance, allowing customers plenty of time to plan the perfect trip.
• For the true jetsetters, American’s longest flights are Brisbane–Dallas-Fort Worth (8,303 miles), Los Angeles–Sydney (7,488 miles) and Auckland, New Zealand–Dallas-Fort Worth (7,440 miles).

Rest assured, more discovery and adventures await in 2025, with American adding more than 20 new routes in 2025, including:

• Athens (ATH) to Charlotte, North Carolina (CLT)
• Carlsbad, California (CLD) to Phoenix (PHX)
• Edinburgh, Scotland (EDI) to Philadelphia (PHL)
• Madrid (MAD) to Chicago (ORD)
• Milan (MXP) to PHL
• Naples, Italy (NAP) to ORD
• Rome (FCO) to Miami (MIA)
• South Caicos, Turks and Caicos (XSC) to MIA
• Tampico, Mexico (TAM) to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW)
• Venice (VCE) to DFW

Ready to make plans for 2025? Head to aa.com to start exploring and to enroll in AAdvantage^®, the most rewarding travel rewards program. It’s free to enroll and easy to start earning miles toward that next adventure.

Download image »