FORT WORTH, Texas, Jan. 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ: AAL) today reported its fourth-quarter and full-year 2019 financial results, including these highlights:

• Fourth-quarter 2019 earnings were $0.95 per diluted share. Excluding net special items¹, earnings were $1.15 per diluted share, up 19% year over year.
• Full-year 2019 earnings were $3.79 per diluted share. Excluding net special items², earnings were $4.90 per diluted share, up 8% year over year.
• Accrued $213 million for the company’s profit-sharing program in 2019, including $74 million in the fourth quarter.
• Returned $1.3 billion to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases in 2019.

“During the fourth quarter, we made important progress to address the issues that impacted our business in 2019, and, thanks to our incredible team, we ended the year with our strongest operational quarter on record,” said American Airlines Chairman and CEO Doug Parker.

“While our results for the quarter reflect this progress, we know there is more work to be done. Looking to 2020, we are focused on three key areas. First, we will continue to deliver operational excellence and build on our strong fourth-quarter results. Our team has done a tremendous job, and we will keep driving improvement in key operational metrics in the year ahead. Second, we will deliver those results while growing where we have a competitive advantage in our most profitable hubs. And third, these initiatives combined with our capital plan will enable us to drive significant free cash flow in 2020 and beyond.”

Fourth-Quarter Revenue and Expenses

Pre-tax earnings were $571 million in the fourth quarter of 2019. Pre-tax earnings excluding net special items for the fourth quarter of 2019 were $679 million, a $90 million increase from the fourth quarter of 2018, or 15.1% year-over-year increase from the same period last year.

	GAAP							Non-GAAP1							GAAP							Non-GAAP2
	4Q19				4Q18			4Q19				4Q18			FY19				FY18			FY19				FY18
Operating income ($ mil)		729			571				876			749				3,065			2,656				3,706			3,449
Pre-tax income ($ mil)		571			394				679			589				2,256			1,884				2,900			2,790
Pre-tax margin		5.0%			3.6%				6.0%			5.4%				4.9%			4.2%				6.3%			6.3%
Net income ($ mil)		414			325				502			448				1,686			1,412				2,179			2,117
Earnings per diluted share	$	0.95		$	0.70			$	1.15		$	0.97			$	3.79		$	3.03			$	4.90		$	4.55

Continued strength in passenger demand and a record passenger load factor drove a 3.4% year-over-year increase in fourth-quarter 2019 total revenue to a record $11.3 billion. Driven by a 2.4% increase in passenger load factor, passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) grew 0.9% to 14.72 cents, a record for the fourth quarter. Cargo revenue was down 18.3% to $216 million due primarily to a 15.6% decline in cargo volume. Other revenue was up 5.4% to $750 million due primarily to higher loyalty revenue. Fourth-quarter total revenue per available seat mile (TRASM) increased by 0.5% compared to the fourth quarter of 2018 on a 2.9% increase in total available seat miles.

Total fourth-quarter 2019 operating expenses were $10.6 billion, up 2.1% year over year, driven primarily by higher salaries and benefits, maintenance, and regional expenses. Total fourth-quarter 2019 cost per available seat mile (CASM) was 15.06 cents, down 0.8% from fourth-quarter 2018. Excluding fuel and net special items, consolidated fourth-quarter CASM was 11.59 cents, up 2% year over year.¹

2020 Priorities             

In 2020, American is focused on operational excellence, efficient and profitable growth, and generating significant free cash flow.

• Operational excellence: Running a reliable operation is a significant driver of customers’ likelihood to recommend and American’s goal is to become customers’ airline of choice.
• Efficient and profitable growth: Grow in high-revenue markets that produce at or above average unit revenues, largely due to new gates in Dallas-Fort Worth and Charlotte, North Carolina.
• Generating significant free cash flow³: Use free cash flow to naturally de-lever the company’s balance sheet and return capital to American’s shareholders.

Operational Excellence

Over the past several months, American’s operational performance has shown significant improvement, including the company’s best-ever performance for both the holiday peak travel period and the entire fourth quarter of 2019. American achieved record results for combined mainline and regional on-time departures, on-time arrivals and completion factor.

“We are very pleased with the trajectory of our operation and are well on our way to delivering operational excellence,” said American Airlines President Robert Isom. “As we look ahead to 2020, we will continue to strengthen our operation and expect to see continued improvements in our reliability metrics.”

Efficient and Profitable Growth

American is committed to growing its network efficiently and profitably. In 2019, the company added 15 new gates at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. This growth resulted in a 21% increase in city pairs served and strong unit revenue. The company also added four new gates at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, with plans for three additional gates beginning in 2020. In addition, the company expects to upgauge 14 gates at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport with dual-class regional jets when the new regional concourse opens in 2021.

Significant Free Cash Flow, Share Repurchases and Dividends

With American’s historic fleet renewal program winding down, the company’s level of capital investment is expected to decline. The company is committed to generating significant free cash flow for its shareholders in 2020 and beyond and presently expects to generate approximately $6 billion in free cash flow³ over the next two years. 

In the fourth quarter of 2019, American returned $285 million to shareholders through the repurchase of 9.9 million shares of common stock and also paid $44 million in dividends. As of Dec. 31, 2019, the company had $565 million remaining of its existing $2 billion share repurchase authorization.⁴ In aggregate, American has returned more than $13.5 billion to shareholders over the past five years through share repurchases and dividends, including $1.3 billion in 2019.

American declared a dividend of $0.10 per share to be paid Feb. 19, 2020, to stockholders of record as of Feb. 5, 2020.

Fleet Update

On March 13, 2019, a directive from the Federal Aviation Administration grounded all U.S.-registered Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. American’s fleet currently includes 24 MAX aircraft with an additional 76 aircraft on order. As a result of this directive, American canceled approximately 10,000 flights in the fourth quarter of 2019.

The company has removed all MAX flying from its flight schedule through June 3, 2020, and will continue to asses this timeline.

Guidance and Investor Update

American expects its first-quarter 2020 pre-tax margin excluding net special items to be approximately flat year over year.⁵ Based on today’s guidance, the company expects its 2020 diluted earnings per share excluding net special items to be between $4.00 and $6.00.⁵

For additional financial forecasting detail, please refer to the company’s investor update, furnished with this release with the SEC on Form 8-K. This filing will be available at aa.com/investorrelations.

Conference Call / Webcast Details

The company will conduct a live audio webcast of its earnings call today at 7:30 a.m. CT, which will be available to the public on a listen-only basis at aa.com/investorrelations. An archive of the webcast will be available on the website through Feb. 23.

Notes

See the accompanying notes in the Financial Tables section of this press release for further explanation, including a reconciliation of all GAAP to non-GAAP financial information.             

1. In the fourth quarter of 2019, the company recognized $108 million in net special items before the effect of income taxes. The 2019 fourth quarter mainline operating special items, net principally included $85 million of merger integration expenses and $39 million of fleet restructuring expenses. These were partially offset by nonoperating net special items of $39 million primarily related to mark-to-market net unrealized gains associated with certain equity and other investments.
2. For the full year 2019, the company recognized $644 million in net special items before the effect of income taxes. Total operating special items totaled a net charge of $641 million, which principally included $271 million of fleet restructuring expenses, a $213 million non-cash impairment charge principally related to the planned retirement of the company's Embraer E190 fleet, and $191 million of merger integration expenses, offset in part by a $53 million credit to reduce certain litigation reserves. The company also recognized $3 million of nonoperating net special items.
3. Free cash flow is defined as operating cash flow minus total capital expenditures plus proceeds from sale-leaseback transactions.
4. Share repurchases under the company’s repurchase programs may be made through a variety of methods, which may include open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions, block trades or accelerated share repurchase transactions. Any such repurchases that may be made from time to time will be subject to market and economic conditions, applicable legal requirements and other relevant factors. The company is not obligated to repurchase any specific number of shares and its repurchase of AAG common stock may be limited, suspended or discontinued at any time at its discretion and without prior notice.
5. American is unable to reconcile certain forward-looking projections to GAAP, as the nature or amount of special items cannot be determined at this time.

About American Airlines Group

American Airlines offers customers 6,800 daily flights to more than 365 destinations in 61 countries from its hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. With a shared purpose of caring for people on life's journey, American's 130,000 global team members serve more than 200 million customers annually. Since 2013, American has invested more than $30 billion in its product and people and now flies the youngest fleet among U.S. network carriers, equipped with industry-leading high-speed Wi-Fi, lie-flat seats, and more inflight entertainment and access to power. American also has enhanced food and beverage options in the air and on the ground in its world-class Admirals Club and Flagship lounges. American was recently named a Five Star Global Airline by the Airline Passenger Experience Association and Airline of the Year by Air Transport World. American is a founding member of oneworld^®, whose members serve 1,100 destinations in 180 countries and territories. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL and the company's stock is included in the S&P 500. Learn more about what's happening at American by visiting news.aa.com and connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Information

Certain of the statements contained in this report should be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “plan,” “project,” “could,” “should,” “would,” “continue,” “seek,” “target,” “guidance,” “outlook,” “if current trends continue,” “optimistic,” “forecast” and other similar words. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our plans, objectives, expectations, intentions, estimates and strategies for the future, and other statements that are not historical facts. These forward-looking statements are based on our current objectives, beliefs and expectations, and they are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results and financial position and timing of certain events to differ materially from the information in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those set forth in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2019 (especially in Part I, Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors), and other risks and uncertainties listed from time to time in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. There may be other factors of which we are not currently aware that may affect matters discussed in the forward-looking statements and may also cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed. We do not assume any obligation to publicly update or supplement any forward-looking statement to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting these forward-looking statements other than as required by law. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof or as of the dates indicated in the statement.

American Airlines Group Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(In millions, except share and per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
		3 Months Ended December 31,								Percent			12 Months Ended December 31,								Percent
			2019				2018			Change				2019				2018			Change
Operating revenues:
Passenger		$	10,347			$	9,962			3.9			$	42,010			$	40,676			3.3
Cargo			216				264			(18.3	)			863				1,013			(14.8	)
Other			750				712			5.4				2,895				2,852			1.5
Total operating revenues			11,313				10,938			3.4				45,768				44,541			2.8
Operating expenses:
Aircraft fuel and related taxes			1,816				1,953			(7.0	)			7,526				8,053			(6.5	)
Salaries, wages and benefits			3,100				3,007			3.0				12,609				12,251			2.9
Regional expenses:
Fuel			475				474			0.2				1,869				1,843			1.4
Depreciation and amortization			90				77			15.9				336				318			5.5
Other			1,355				1,259			7.7				5,296				4,972			6.5
Maintenance, materials and repairs			635				550			15.3				2,380				2,050			16.1
Other rent and landing fees			487				437			11.6				2,055				1,900			8.2
Aircraft rent			330				326			1.4				1,326				1,264			4.9
Selling expenses			407				383			6.2				1,602				1,520			5.4
Depreciation and amortization			513				474			8.4				1,982				1,839			7.7
Special items, net			147				173			(14.5	)			635				787			(19.4	)
Other			1,229				1,254			(2.0	)			5,087				5,088			-
Total operating expenses			10,584				10,367			2.1				42,703				41,885			2.0
Operating income			729				571			27.6				3,065				2,656			15.4
Nonoperating income (expense):
Interest income			24				34			(29.4	)			127				118			7.1
Interest expense, net			(265	)			(270	)		(1.0	)			(1,095	)			(1,056	)		3.7
Other income, net			83				59			43.5				159				166			(3.8	)
Total nonoperating expense, net			(158	)			(177	)		(10.2	)			(809	)			(772	)		4.8
Income before income taxes			571				394			44.4				2,256				1,884			19.7
Income tax provision			157				69			nm				570				472			20.7
Net income		$	414			$	325			27.5			$	1,686			$	1,412			19.4
Earnings per common share:
Basic		$	0.95			$	0.71						$	3.80			$	3.04
Diluted		$	0.95			$	0.70						$	3.79			$	3.03
Weighted average shares outstanding (in thousands):
Basic			434,578				460,589							443,363				464,236
Diluted			435,659				461,915							444,269				465,660
Note: Percent change may not recalculate due to rounding.

American Airlines Group Inc.
Consolidated Operating Statistics
(Unaudited)
		3 Months Ended December 31,								12 Months Ended December 31,
		2019		2018		Change				2019		2018		Change
Mainline
Revenue passenger miles (millions)		51,675		49,143		5.2		%		212,859		205,451		3.6		%
Available seat miles (ASM) (millions)		60,985		59,852		1.9		%		248,833		248,562		0.1		%
Passenger load factor (percent)		84.7		82.1		2.6		pts		85.5		82.7		2.8		pts
Passenger enplanements (thousands)		38,757		36,581		5.9		%		155,821		148,228		5.1		%
Departures (thousands)		279		273		2.3		%		1,115		1,098		1.6		%
Aircraft at end of period		942		956		(1.5	)	%		942		956		(1.5	)	%
Block hours (thousands)		847		846		0.1		%		3,456		3,493		(1.1	)	%
Average stage length (miles)		1,177		1,198		(1.8	)	%		1,202		1,236		(2.7	)	%
Fuel consumption (gallons in millions)		895		877		2.0		%		3,667		3,644		0.6		%
Average aircraft fuel price including related taxes (dollars per gallon)		2.03		2.23		(8.9	)	%		2.05		2.21		(7.1	)	%
Full-time equivalent employees at end of period		104,200		102,900		1.3		%		104,200		102,900		1.3		%
Regional (1)
Revenue passenger miles (millions)		7,242		6,427		12.7		%		28,393		25,709		10.4		%
Available seat miles (millions)		9,287		8,446		10.0		%		36,255		33,492		8.3		%
Passenger load factor (percent)		78.0		76.1		1.9		pts		78.3		76.8		1.5		pts
Passenger enplanements (thousands)		15,096		13,902		8.6		%		59,361		55,517		6.9		%
Aircraft at end of period		605		595		1.7		%		605		595		1.7		%
Fuel consumption (gallons in millions)		222		203		9.3		%		870		803		8.3		%
Average aircraft fuel price including related taxes (dollars per gallon)		2.14		2.34		(8.4	)	%		2.15		2.30		(6.4	)	%
Full-time equivalent employees at end of period (2)		29,500		26,000		13.5		%		29,500		26,000		13.5		%
Total Mainline & Regional
Revenue passenger miles (millions)		58,917		55,570		6.0		%		241,252		231,160		4.4		%
Available seat miles (millions)		70,272		68,298		2.9		%		285,088		282,054		1.1		%
Passenger load factor (percent)		83.8		81.4		2.4		pts		84.6		82.0		2.6		pts
Yield (cents)		17.56		17.93		(2.0	)	%		17.41		17.60		(1.0	)	%
Passenger revenue per ASM (cents)		14.72		14.59		0.9		%		14.74		14.42		2.2		%
Total revenue per ASM (cents)		16.10		16.02		0.5		%		16.05		15.79		1.7		%
Cargo ton miles (millions)		599		710		(15.6	)	%		2,489		2,908		(14.4	)	%
Cargo yield per ton mile (cents)		36.03		37.25		(3.3	)	%		34.67		34.81		(0.4	)	%
Passenger enplanements (thousands)		53,853		50,483		6.7		%		215,182		203,745		5.6		%
Aircraft at end of period (3)		1,547		1,551		(0.3	)	%		1,547		1,551		(0.3	)	%
Fuel consumption (gallons in millions)		1,117		1,080		3.4		%		4,537		4,447		2.0		%
Average aircraft fuel price including related taxes (dollars per gallon)		2.05		2.25		(8.7	)	%		2.07		2.23		(6.9	)	%
Full-time equivalent employees at end of period		133,700		128,900		3.7		%		133,700		128,900		3.7		%
Operating cost per ASM (cents)		15.06		15.18		(0.8	)	%		14.98		14.85		0.9		%
Operating cost per ASM excluding net special items (cents)		14.85		14.92		(0.5	)	%		14.75		14.57		1.3		%
Operating cost per ASM excluding net special items and fuel (cents)		11.59		11.37		2.0		%		11.46		11.06		3.6		%
(1) Regional includes wholly-owned regional airline subsidiaries and operating results from capacity purchase carriers.
(2) Regional full-time equivalent employees only include our wholly-owned regional airline subsidiaries.
(3) Includes aircraft owned and leased by American as well as aircraft operated by third-party regional carriers under capacity purchase agreements. Excludes 12 Embraer 140 regional aircraft that are in temporary storage.
Note: Amounts may not recalculate due to rounding.

American Airlines Group Inc.
Consolidated Revenue Statistics by Region
(Unaudited)
			3 Months Ended December 31,								12 Months Ended December 31,
			2019		2018		Change				2019		2018		Change
Domestic (1)
Revenue passenger miles (millions)			40,436		38,096		6.1		%		161,580		154,746		4.4		%
Available seat miles (ASM) (millions)			48,068		45,932		4.7		%		189,221		184,901		2.3		%
Passenger load factor (percent)			84.1		82.9		1.2		pts		85.4		83.7		1.7		pts
Passenger revenue (dollars in millions)			7,833		7,502		4.4		%		30,881		29,573		4.4		%
Yield (cents)			19.37		19.69		(1.6	)	%		19.11		19.11		-		%
Passenger revenue per ASM (cents)			16.30		16.33		(0.2	)	%		16.32		15.99		2.0		%
Latin America (2)
Revenue passenger miles (millions)			7,235		7,229		0.1		%		31,029		30,628		1.3		%
Available seat miles (millions)			8,476		9,085		(6.7	)	%		36,653		38,493		(4.8	)	%
Passenger load factor (percent)			85.4		79.6		5.8		pts		84.7		79.6		5.1		pts
Passenger revenue (dollars in millions)			1,218		1,186		2.6		%		5,047		5,125		(1.5	)	%
Yield (cents)			16.83		16.41		2.6		%		16.27		16.73		(2.8	)	%
Passenger revenue per ASM (cents)			14.37		13.06		10.0		%		13.77		13.31		3.4		%
Atlantic
Revenue passenger miles (millions)			7,639		6,652		14.8		%		34,152		30,282		12.8		%
Available seat miles (millions)			9,372		8,624		8.7		%		42,010		39,178		7.2		%
Passenger load factor (percent)			81.5		77.1		4.4		pts		81.3		77.3		4.0		pts
Passenger revenue (dollars in millions)			947		905		4.6		%		4,624		4,376		5.7		%
Yield (cents)			12.40		13.61		(8.9	)	%		13.54		14.45		(6.3	)	%
Passenger revenue per ASM (cents)			10.11		10.50		(3.7	)	%		11.01		11.17		(1.5	)	%
Pacific
Revenue passenger miles (millions)			3,607		3,593		0.4		%		14,491		15,504		(6.5	)	%
Available seat miles (millions)			4,356		4,657		(6.5	)	%		17,204		19,482		(11.7	)	%
Passenger load factor (percent)			82.8		77.1		5.7		pts		84.2		79.6		4.6		pts
Passenger revenue (dollars in millions)			349		369		(5.3	)	%		1,458		1,602		(9.0	)	%
Yield (cents)			9.68		10.26		(5.7	)	%		10.06		10.33		(2.6	)	%
Passenger revenue per ASM (cents)			8.02		7.92		1.3		%		8.47		8.22		3.1		%
Total International
Revenue passenger miles (millions)			18,481		17,474		5.8		%		79,672		76,414		4.3		%
Available seat miles (millions)			22,204		22,366		(0.7	)	%		95,867		97,153		(1.3	)	%
Passenger load factor (percent)			83.2		78.1		5.1		pts		83.1		78.7		4.4		pts
Passenger revenue (dollars in millions)			2,514		2,460		2.2		%		11,129		11,103		0.2		%
Yield (cents)			13.60		14.08		(3.4	)	%		13.97		14.53		(3.9	)	%
Passenger revenue per ASM (cents)			11.32		11.00		2.9		%		11.61		11.43		1.6		%
(1) Domestic results include Canada, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.
(2) Latin America results include the Caribbean.
Note: Amounts may not recalculate due to rounding.

Reconciliation of GAAP Financial Information to Non-GAAP Financial Information
American Airlines Group Inc. (the company) sometimes uses financial measures that are derived from the condensed consolidated financial statements but that are not presented in accordance with GAAP to understand and evaluate its current operating performance and to allow for period-to-period comparisons. The company believes these non-GAAP financial measures may also provide useful information to investors and others. These non-GAAP measures may not be comparable to similarly titled non-GAAP measures of other companies, and should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for or superior to, any measure of performance, cash flow or liquidity prepared in accordance with GAAP. The company is providing a reconciliation of reported non-GAAP financial measures to their comparable financial measures on a GAAP basis. The tables below present the reconciliations of the following GAAP measures to their non-GAAP measures: - Pre-Tax Income (GAAP measure) to Pre-Tax Income Excluding Net Special Items (non-GAAP measure) - Pre-Tax Margin (GAAP measure) to Pre-Tax Margin Excluding Net Special Items (non-GAAP measure) - Net Income (GAAP measure) to Net Income Excluding Net Special Items (non-GAAP measure) - Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share (GAAP measure) to Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share Excluding Net Special Items (non-GAAP measure) - Operating Income (GAAP measure) to Operating Income Excluding Net Special Items (non-GAAP measure) Management uses these non-GAAP financial measures to evaluate the company's current operating performance and to allow for period-to-period comparisons. As net special items may vary from period-to-period in nature and amount, the adjustment to exclude net special items allows management an additional tool to understand the company’s core operating performance. Additionally, the tables below present the reconciliations of total operating costs (GAAP measure) to total operating costs excluding net special items and fuel (non-GAAP measure). Management uses total operating costs excluding net special items and fuel to evaluate the company's current operating performance and for period-to-period comparisons. The price of fuel, over which the company has no control, impacts the comparability of period-to-period financial performance. The adjustment to exclude aircraft fuel and net special items allows management an additional tool to understand and analyze the company’s non-fuel costs and core operating performance.
		3 Months Ended December 31,								Percent Change			12 Months Ended December 31,								Percent Change
Reconciliation of Pre-Tax Income Excluding Net Special Items			2019				2018							2019				2018
		(in millions, except per share amounts)											(in millions, except per share amounts)
Pre-tax income as reported		$	571			$	394						$	2,256			$	1,884
Pre-tax net special items:
Mainline operating special items, net (1)			147				173							635				787
Regional operating special items, net			-				5							6				6
Nonoperating special items, net (2)			(39	)			17							3				113
Total pre-tax net special items			108				195							644				906
Pre-tax income excluding net special items		$	679			$	589			15.1	%		$	2,900			$	2,790			3.9	%
Calculation of Pre-Tax Margin
Pre-tax income as reported		$	571			$	394						$	2,256			$	1,884
Total operating revenues as reported		$	11,313			$	10,938						$	45,768			$	44,541
Pre-tax margin			5.0	%			3.6	%						4.9	%			4.2	%
Calculation of Pre-Tax Margin Excluding Net Special Items
Pre-tax income excluding net special items		$	679			$	589						$	2,900			$	2,790
Total operating revenues as reported		$	11,313			$	10,938						$	45,768			$	44,541
Pre-tax margin excluding net special items			6.0	%			5.4	%						6.3	%			6.3	%
Reconciliation of Net Income Excluding Net Special Items
Net income as reported		$	414			$	325						$	1,686			$	1,412
Net special items:
Total pre-tax net special items (1), (2)			108				195							644				906
Income tax special items, net (3)			-				(22	)						-				18
Net tax effect of net special items			(20	)			(50	)						(151	)			(219	)
Net income excluding net special items		$	502			$	448			12.2	%		$	2,179			$	2,117			2.9	%
Reconciliation of Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share Excluding Net Special Items
Net income excluding net special items		$	502			$	448						$	2,179			$	2,117
Shares used for computation (in thousands):
Basic			434,578				460,589							443,363				464,236
Diluted			435,659				461,915							444,269				465,660
Earnings per share excluding net special items:
Basic		$	1.15			$	0.97						$	4.91			$	4.56
Diluted		$	1.15			$	0.97						$	4.90			$	4.55
		3 Months Ended December 31,											12 Months Ended December 31,
Reconciliation of Operating Income Excluding Net Special Items			2019				2018							2019				2018
		(in millions)											(in millions)
Operating income as reported		$	729			$	571						$	3,065			$	2,656
Operating net special items:
Mainline operating special items, net (1)			147				173							635				787
Regional operating special items, net			-				5							6				6
Operating income excluding net special items		$	876			$	749						$	3,706			$	3,449
Reconciliation of Total Operating Cost per ASM Excluding Net Special Items and Fuel
Total operating expenses as reported		$	10,584			$	10,367						$	42,703			$	41,885
Operating net special items:
Mainline operating special items, net (1)			(147	)			(173	)						(635	)			(787	)
Regional operating special items, net			-				(5	)						(6	)			(6	)
Total operating expenses, excluding net special items			10,437				10,189							42,062				41,092
Fuel:
Aircraft fuel and related taxes - mainline			(1,816	)			(1,953	)						(7,526	)			(8,053	)
Aircraft fuel and related taxes - regional			(475	)			(474	)						(1,869	)			(1,843	)
Total operating expenses, excluding net special items and fuel		$	8,146			$	7,762						$	32,667			$	31,196
		(in cents)											(in cents)
Total operating expenses per ASM as reported			15.06				15.18							14.98				14.85
Operating net special items per ASM:
Mainline operating special items, net (1)			(0.21	)			(0.25	)						(0.22	)			(0.28	)
Regional operating special items, net			-				(0.01	)						-				-
Total operating expenses per ASM, excluding net special items			14.85				14.92							14.75				14.57
Fuel per ASM:
Aircraft fuel and related taxes - mainline			(2.58	)			(2.86	)						(2.64	)			(2.86	)
Aircraft fuel and related taxes - regional			(0.68	)			(0.69	)						(0.66	)			(0.65	)
Total operating expenses per ASM, excluding net special items and fuel			11.59				11.37							11.46				11.06
Note: Amounts may not recalculate due to rounding.
FOOTNOTES:
(1) The 2019 fourth quarter mainline operating special items, net principally included $85 million of merger integration expenses and $39 million of fleet restructuring expenses. The 2019 twelve month period mainline operating special items, net principally included $271 million of fleet restructuring expenses, a $213 million non-cash impairment charge principally related to the planned retirement of the company's Embraer E190 fleet and $191 million of merger integration expenses, offset in part by a $53 million credit to reduce certain litigation reserves. The 2018 fourth quarter mainline operating special items, net principally included $94 million of fleet restructuring expenses, $81 million of merger integration expenses, $37 million in severance costs associated with reductions of management and support staff team members, offset in part by a $37 million net credit resulting from mark-to-market adjustments on bankruptcy obligations. The 2018 twelve month period mainline operating special items, net principally included $422 million of fleet restructuring expenses, $268 million of merger integration expenses, $58 million in severance costs as described above, a $45 million litigation settlement, a $26 million non-cash charge to write off the company's Brazil route authority intangible asset as a result of the U.S.-Brazil open skies agreement, offset in part by a $76 million net credit resulting from mark-to-market adjustments on bankruptcy obligations. Fleet restructuring expenses principally included accelerated depreciation and rent expense for aircraft and related equipment grounded or expected to be grounded earlier than planned. Merger integration expenses included costs associated with integration projects, principally the company's technical operations, flight attendant, human resources and payroll systems.
(2) Principally included mark-to-market net unrealized gains and losses associated with certain equity and other investments.
(3) The 2018 fourth quarter income tax special credit of $22 million was the result of the reversal of the valuation allowance previously recognized in the 2018 first quarter related to the company's estimated refund for Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) credits, which was no longer subject to sequestration. The 2018 twelve month period income tax special charge of $18 million is related to an international income tax matter.

American Airlines Group Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(In millions)
	December 31, 2019				December 31, 2018
	(unaudited)
Assets
Current assets
Cash	$	280			$	275
Short-term investments		3,546				4,485
Restricted cash and short-term investments		158				154
Accounts receivable, net		1,750				1,706
Aircraft fuel, spare parts and supplies, net		1,851				1,522
Prepaid expenses and other		621				495
Total current assets		8,206				8,637
Operating property and equipment
Flight equipment		42,537				41,499
Ground property and equipment		9,443				8,764
Equipment purchase deposits		1,674				1,278
Total property and equipment, at cost		53,654				51,541
Less accumulated depreciation and amortization		(18,659	)			(17,443	)
Total property and equipment, net		34,995				34,098
Operating lease right-of-use assets		8,737				9,151
Other assets
Goodwill		4,091				4,091
Intangibles, net		2,084				2,137
Deferred tax asset		645				1,145
Other assets		1,237				1,321
Total other assets		8,057				8,694
Total assets	$	59,995			$	60,580
Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity (Deficit)
Current liabilities
Current maturities of long-term debt and finance leases	$	2,861			$	3,294
Accounts payable		2,062				1,773
Accrued salaries and wages		1,541				1,427
Air traffic liability		4,808				4,339
Loyalty program liability		3,193				3,267
Operating lease liabilities		1,708				1,654
Other accrued liabilities		2,138				2,342
Total current liabilities		18,311				18,096
Noncurrent liabilities
Long-term debt and finance leases, net of current maturities		21,454				21,179
Pension and postretirement benefits		6,052				6,907
Loyalty program liability		5,422				5,272
Operating lease liabilities		7,421				7,902
Other liabilities		1,453				1,393
Total noncurrent liabilities		41,802				42,653
Stockholders' equity (deficit)
Common stock		4				5
Additional paid-in capital		3,945				4,964
Accumulated other comprehensive loss		(6,331	)			(5,896	)
Retained earnings		2,264				758
Total stockholders' deficit		(118	)			(169	)
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity (deficit)	$	59,995			$	60,580

Source: American Airlines Group, Inc.