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The parent company of American Airlines filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday, seeking relief from crushing debt caused by high fuel prices and expensive labor contracts that its competitors shed years ago.

American’s parent company, AMR, has incurred $12 billion in losses since 2001, and analysts say it is on track to lose $1.1 billion more this year.

With industry profits of less than 1 percent forecast for 2012, American had little hope of a significant rebound in the coming months.

source: Washington Post

Flight-information provider Travelport says a federal judge tossed out most of American Airlines‘ antitrust lawsuit against the company and online travel agent Orbitz.

Travelport Ltd. said that the judge dismissed American’s claims that Travelport monopolizes distribution of airline fare and flight information to travel agents.

American Airlines officials did not immediately comment.

source: businessweek.com

Shares of American Airlines parent AMR Corp. fell Friday, and an analyst predicted the company will wind up in bankruptcy unless it gets a break from lenders or more cash.

The shares dropped 19 cents, or 6.6 percent, to close at $2.69 and fell as low as $2.59 during the session.

Other major U.S. airline stocks also fell, as higher oil prices signaled rising jet fuel costs, but they declined less than half as much as AMR.

source: washingtonpost.com

Animal lovers plan to rev up a nearly 2-month-old search at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday for Jack the cat, a fluffy orange feline whose disappearance at the hands of American Airlines has spawned a Facebook page and a PR headache for the airline.

The date has been declared ‘Jack the Cat Awareness Day’ by organizers of the afternoon search at the cargo area of JFK where Jack was last seen Aug. 25. That’s when Jack’s owner, Karen Pascoe, checked the 18-pound cat in for their flight to California, where Pascoe was to begin a new job.

The airline notes that its efforts since the end of August have included hiring a pet detective, flying Pascoe back from California to help search, and placing food, water and humane traps in the cargo area — all to no avail.

source: latimes.com

Fears that the holding company for American Airlines, the fourth-biggest US carrier by passenger miles, would file for bankruptcy sent shares in AMR Corporation tumbling by a third on Monday.

Management at AMR, which owns the regional airline American Eagle as well as American, strongly denied the claims.

American is the only big US carrier not to have passed through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in the past decade. That has led to suggestions the company would voluntarily file for bankruptcy to renegotiate labour – and in particular pilot – costs, despite holding a cash pile of about $5bn.

source: Finantial Times

American Airlines announced that it’s stepping up its in-flight dining program with new menu items created by cheffy-chefs Richard Sandoval and Marcus Samuelsson.

Chef Sandoval’s items are more entree-ish, and they’ll be served on premium-class seats on flights between the U.S. and Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

Chef Samuelsson’s “‘New American Table menu'” items are more sandwichy, and will be available for purchase in the Main Cabin/Coach section on domestic flights more than two hours long.

source: pegasusnews.com

For the second year in a row, American Airlines was ranked among the most innovative companies in the U.S. by InformationWeek, vaulting to No. 11 in this year’s ‘InformationWeek 500’ ranking. The ranking of the top technology innovators in the United States was revealed this week at the exclusive InformationWeek 500 Conference.

source: prnewswire.com

US Airways, United, Continental and Delta confirmed that they raised prices.

Jamie Baker, an analyst for J.P. Morgan Chase, said the increases of $6 to $10 were applied to last-minute tickets favored by corporate travelers. He said the move, led by US Airways, appeared to back up the company’s comments that demand for business travel has held up.

Baker said the airlines did not increase prices on tickets requiring an advance purchase. Those are usually bought by leisure travelers.

source: msnbc.com

American Airlines passengers can watch streaming movies over in-flight wifi, in a world first.

American is launching the system — which is basically a movie server sitting on board the plane — on its Boeing 767-200 fleet, the mainstay of its Flagship Service from New York to LA and San Francisco, plus LA to Miami.

The Airbus factory in Broughton, Flintshire, has been given a major boost with the news that American Airlines is to buy 260 new aircraft.

It came as the US carrier announced its biggest ever order of 460 planes from Airbus and rival Boeing.

All 260 aircraft will also feature large, fuel-saving wingtip devices known as sharklets, as American moves to make its fleet as efficient as possible.

source: Wales Online