American Airlines issued its 2022 Sustainability Report today, providing updates on the company's strategy and progress on key issues over the year. The report affirms American's focus on the sustainability issues most important to its business and stakeholders, including climate change, customer and team member safety, human capital and customer service.
“Over the past year, American has worked tirelessly to fly more and bring people together again,” American's CEO Robert Isom said. “I'm deeply proud of our team for building back our airline, developing a pipeline of new and diverse talent and advancing our climate goals — all while remaining steadfastly committed to our why: caring for people on life's journey.”
American's strategy for reaching net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050 is focused on running a more fuel-efficient operation, with more fuel-efficient aircraft increasingly powered by low-carbon fuel. Over the past several years, American has undertaken the most extensive fleet renewal effort in the history of its industry — giving the airline the youngest mainline fleet among U.S. network carriers. In 2022, American took meaningful steps forward across its strategy — from adding new-generation aircraft to its fleet and finalizing its most significant sustainable aviation fuel offtake agreement to date to announcing investments in two companies focused on the development of low-carbon, hydrogen-powered aviation.
In 2022, American became the first airline globally to receive validation from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) that its intermediate 2035 GHG reduction targets comply with the criteria in the SBTi's first aviation pathway. The company's Sustainability Report also includes a detailed discussion of American's risks and opportunities related to climate change, as recommended by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures.
Embedding diversity, equity and inclusion across American gives its culture a competitive advantage and underpins American's quest to be the best airline for its customers. The report describes the company's efforts to create opportunities for people from all backgrounds, including diverse groups historically underrepresented in the airline industry, and to increase awareness, access and opportunity for everyone interested in exploring a career in aviation.
The team at American is the engine behind the high level of service it provides to customers. Even as the company rapidly ramped up operations in 2022, it maintained its focus on offering the reliability, dependability and world-class experience its customers expect. Thanks to the hard work of the American team, the company recorded its best-ever customer satisfaction scores, as measured by Likelihood to Recommend, for the year. The company also continues to have an uncompromising commitment to customer and team member safety.
The airline's progress toward its sustainability goals continues to receive accolades. American was named 2023 Air Transport World Eco-Airline of the Year, and in 2022 remained the only passenger airline to be included in the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index for a second consecutive year.
