- AMR's principal holding, American Airlines, operates thousands of flights a day principally out of its hubs in Dallas, Miami and Chicago O'Hare, with significant operations at St. Louis, Los Angeles, and New York's LaGuardia and JFK airports. While American Airlines was formed in 1934, with roots stretching back to the 1920s, AMR Corporation was a corporate device set up by then American Airlines CEO Robert Crandall to capitalize on new financing opportunities that had arisen.
- AMR Corporation trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "AMR." The company does not pay dividends on its stock nor does it have a direct stock-purchase plan. Previous corporate actions that have affected the stock price and share ratio include the spin-off of the travel system provider SABRE Group in 2000 as well as the acquisition of Trans World Airlines in 2001.
- The airline industry is an industry in transition. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the airline industry has faced numerous hurdles, including reduced passenger demand, rising oil prices, and intense competition from well-funded, upstart low-cost competitors. These challenges have caused most "legacy carriers" to either seek bankruptcy protection or merger partners.
- Because of the precarious nature of the airline industry, direct peer-to-peer stock comparison for larger "legacy carriers" is difficult. All of the carriers that would be considered American's competitors have gone bankrupt at least once in the last 20 years, making their stock worthless. For a long-term comparison of note, the NYSE Global Airline Index offers some consistent benchmarks from 2001 on. Using that metric, AMR has performed worse than its peers. However, both AMR and the index have suffered double-digit percentage losses since 2001.
- As of 2009, AMR faces numerous challenges that may affect the long-term price of its stock. The airline has lost its distinction of being the largest airline in America after the merger of smaller rivals Delta and Northwest. This may affect lucrative business contracts in the long term. Further, the airline faces the choice of replacing its aging fleet of MD-80 aircraft with newer models. The cost of doing this is expensive, but failure to do so will leave American with a fleet that requires more maintenance and fuel. Finally, American has not gone through bankruptcy, putting it a competitive disadvantage with its rivals, all of whom have wrung concessions from their unions.
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