American Airlines

Illustration of an airplane with a face and what looks like a large belly on a white background with an outer blue white then red ring

American Airlines has been in business since 1936 and was first known as American Airways. Charles Lindbergh flew the first American Airlines flight, delivering U.S. mail from St. Louis, Missouri to Chicago, Illinois in 1926. Founder C.R. Smith worked together with Donald Douglas to create the first passenger plane, the DC-3 in 1936 beginning a new industry.

The first flights were out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company has since expanded to offer flights to 350 destinations in 50 countries.

American Airlines red and blue AA logo with the eagle was first designed in 1968 by Massimo Vignelli of Unimark. The logo was seen painted onto the tails of American Airlines’ planes until 2013 when the company rebranded to a new minimalist red and blue eagle head design. The tails of post-2013 planes are painted with the stripes of the American flag.