Is Culture Behind 100 Years of Success at American Airlines?

American Airlines is celebrating its 100th anniversary in April 2026, with the company having made significant strides in the past century to elevate the experience of its employees. 

Reflecting on the company’s evolution in a LinkedIn post discussing its Black History Month celebration, Cole Brown, Chief People Officer at American Airlines, said: “As American Airlines celebrates our centennial year, this month carries an even deeper meaning. 

“We’re reflecting not only on 100 years of our history – but we’re also recognising the people who made this history possible.”

The company’s people strategy has historically centred on hiring diverse talent, building a culture of care and providing learning and development opportunities that enable internal growth.  

Culture as a competitive advantage 

On its website, American Airlines says “our strength comes from bringing together talented individuals with diverse perspectives”. 

According to the company, this means hiring top talent, creating a team that reflects its global customer base and leaning into its core mission: “To Care for People on Life’s Journey”. 

With this central purpose, the company has said it aims to empower its 130,000+ employee base by encouraging staff to act as leaders and care for each other.

A significant part of this is the company's Employee Business Resource Groups, which are volunteer-led and created to represent diverse backgrounds – including the Black Professional Network, which was founded in 1996 and focuses on career advancement, and a Veteran Military group, which was the first of its kind in the airline industry and supports more than 7,000 employees. 

Much of the company’s current culture strategy has been developed by Cole, who joined the company in 2021 after working as Vice President of Human Resources for Amazon’s Devices & Services, Corporate & Business Development. 

She has strived to build a more inclusive workplace environment, with the company investing more than US$400m in 2023 to expand its Tulsa maintenance base to create over 300 new local jobs. 

Upon her appointment, Elise Eberwein, former Executive Vice President of People and Global Engagement, said: “Her experience with large, multi-national service businesses will translate well into the airline industry, and the breadth and depth of her human resources experience will support our coworkers in the best way possible. 

“Above all, Cole has a servant leader’s mindset that complements American [Airlines’] mission to care for people on life’s journey.”

Opportunities for leadership development

Part of American Airlines’ strategy for empowering its employees is by investing significantly in training and development opportunities. 

The company has invested more than US$1bn in training and development programmes – part of which was used to develop a Women’s Leadership Programme, which is designed to develop and support female employees in leadership and pilot roles where they have historically been underrepresented. 

The programme offers scholarships to aspiring female pilots to help close the gender gap, and provides women within the company with targeted training and mentorship to advance within the company. 

By investing in its employees, the company has said it looks to focus on upskilling employees for leadership roles rather than relying on external hiring. 

This prioritisation of internal mobility has long since been a core priority for American Airlines across its 100-year history. In 1951, Carlene Roberts Lawrence, who started at the company as a secretary, became the first female vice president in the airline industry.