American Airlines has never been based in Chicago, but by the late twentieth century, it had become a leading employer in the region. In 1930 several small companies merged to form the American Airways Co., based in New York; it became American Airlines four years later. The company's headquarters moved to Dallas in 1979, and in 1982 its official name became AMR Corp. One of the world's leading passenger airlines, American employed about 3,500 Chicago-area residents by the early 1970s; during the late 1990s, when annual revenues stood at about $20 billion, it had as many as 12,000 workers in the area. Despite substantial layoffs in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, American employed approximately the same number of Chicago-area employees in 2002.

This entry is part of the Encyclopedia's Dictionary of Leading Chicago Businesses (1820-2000) that was prepared by Mark R. Wilson, with additional contributions from Stephen R. Porter and Janice L. Reiff.