Which airline is identified by the two-letter IATA code AA?

American Airlines is identified by the two-letter IATA code AA.

IATA airline designators are used in reservations, timetables, tickets, baggage tags, and other commercial aviation systems. American Airlines also uses the ICAO designator AAL and the radio callsign “American,” but those are different identifiers from the IATA code AA.

American Airlines was founded in 1930 through the consolidation of several smaller airlines. Its modern corporate history is also connected with American Airways, which adopted the American Airlines name in 1934. The carrier grew into one of the world’s largest airlines by fleet size, destinations, and passenger volume.

The code AA is not an abbreviation that simply spells out the airline’s full name; it is an assigned commercial designator. Other airlines can have codes that resemble their names, but the systems are separate. Air Canada uses AC, Air India uses AI, and Alaska Airlines uses AS, making them distinct from American Airlines’ AA code.