Comprehensive interview intel — history, fleet, compensation, hiring, culture, and strategy. Know the company inside and out before you walk in.
American is a legacy U.S. network carrier headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It traces its roots to an airmail carrier in 1926 (the same year Charles Lindbergh flew mail for Robertson Aircraft Corporation, one of its predecessors), is a founding member of the oneworld alliance, operates more than 6,000 daily flights to more than 350 destinations in more than 60 countries, serves more than 200 million customers annually, and has about 130,000 team members including approximately 15,176 active pilots. Robert Isom has been CEO since March 31, 2022.
For interview purposes, the simplest way to frame American is this: it is trying to be a premium global airline with the broadest U.S. connectivity, anchored by large domestic hubs and strengthened by international alliance depth. American itself uses language like "premium global airline connecting more of the U.S. to the world," which is a useful phrase to understand because it reflects how leadership describes the company.
American has nine hub cities — the most of any U.S. carrier — and the largest domestic market share of the Big Three at approximately 20%. It is a founding member of oneworld, which connects it to 1,100+ destinations in 170+ territories through partners like British Airways, JAL, Qantas, Qatar Airways, and Cathay Pacific. It also maintains joint ventures with British Airways/Iberia/Finnair (transatlantic) and JAL (transpacific), which means certain international routes are operated as revenue-sharing partnerships rather than simple codeshares.
American's corporate lineage is long and storied. Aviation Corporation (AVCO) was formed in 1929 as a holding company and consolidated approximately 82-85 small airlines into American Airways by 1930. E.L. Cord acquired controlling interest in 1935 and renamed it American Airlines. C.R. Smith, who became president in 1934, is considered the foundational leader — he championed the Douglas DC-3 (American was the launch customer in 1936, and the DC-3 revolutionized air travel), and he built American into a dominant domestic carrier over three decades. Smith eventually left in 1968 to serve as U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President Johnson.
The most transformative modern leader was Robert Crandall, who served as CEO from 1980 to 1998. Crandall invented the AAdvantage frequent flyer program in 1981 — the world's first — and built the SABRE computer reservation system, which later became Sabre Corporation. Under Crandall, American became the world's largest airline by the early 1990s. These innovations fundamentally changed how airlines sell seats and build customer loyalty, and they remain core to American's business model today.
The full CEO succession:
Key historical milestones to know:
Sources listed at the end of each profile. Data compiled from public filings, airline newsrooms, AirlinePilotCentral, Glassdoor, FAA records, and industry publications.