American Airlines (AAL) DEF 14ADefinitive proxy

April 29, 2021

To Our Stockholders:

On behalf of the Board of Directors of American Airlines Group Inc., we invite you to attend the 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. Central Time. As in recent meetings, this year’s Annual Meeting will be a virtual meeting of stockholders, conducted via live audio webcast. The virtual format provides the opportunity for participation by a broader group of our stockholders and enables stockholders to participate fully, and equally, from any location around the world, at no cost. You can attend the Annual Meeting via the Internet at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/aal2021 by using the 16-digit control number which appears on your Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials, your proxy card (printed in the box and marked by the arrow), and the instructions that accompanied your proxy materials. You will have the ability to submit questions in advance of, and real-time during, the Annual Meeting via the meeting website.

The attached Notice of 2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and Proxy Statement describes the formal business to be transacted and detailed procedures for attending, submitting questions and voting at the virtual meeting. We have produced an interactive proxy statement that will provide our stockholders with better capability to navigate through the document, making key information easier to find and evaluate. The interactive proxy statement is accessible at www.proxydocs.com/AAL prior to the Annual Meeting and at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/aal2021 during the Annual Meeting.

It is important that your shares be represented at the Annual Meeting and, regardless of whether you plan to attend, we request that you vote in advance on the matters to be presented at the Annual Meeting as described in these proxy materials.

Thank you for your continued support.

				Sincerely,
				W. Douglas Parker
				Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer

The accompanying Proxy Statement is dated April 29, 2021, and is first being released to stockholders of American Airlines Group Inc. on or about April 29, 2021.

NOTICE OF 2021 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

For instructions on voting in advance of and during the virtual meeting, please see page (i) of the Proxy Statement.

You can help us reduce costs and the impact on the environment by electing to receive and access future copies of our proxy statements, annual reports and other stockholder materials electronically by email. If your shares are registered directly in your name with our stock registrar and transfer agent, American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, you can make this election by going to its website (www.astfinancial.com) or by following the instructions provided when voting over the Internet. If you hold your shares in a brokerage account or otherwise through a third party in “street name,” please refer to the information provided by your broker, bank or other nominee for instructions on how to elect to receive and view future annual meeting materials electronically.

		By Order of the Board of Directors of American Airlines Group Inc.,
		Caroline B. Ray
		Corporate Secretary

PLEASE READ THE ACCOMPANYING PROXY STATEMENT CAREFULLY.

REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE MEETING, YOUR VOTE IS IMPORTANT AND WE

ENCOURAGE YOU TO VOTE PROMPTLY.

Stockholder Engagement and Governance Highlights

We welcome and value communication with our stockholders. We engage in proactive dialogue with our largest stockholders year-round to gain an understanding of their perspectives on a wide range of matters, which we regularly share with the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”). Stockholders may communicate directly with our Board as set forth under “Communications with the Board and Non-Management Directors” on page 35. The following corporate governance and Board practices ensure accountability and enhance effectiveness in the boardroom:

Voting Matters and Board Recommendations

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2021 Director Nominees (Proposal 1)

Our director nominees have demonstrated their commitment to diligently execute their fiduciary duties on behalf of our stockholders, and we recommend that our stockholders elect each of the nominees shown in the chart below at the Annual Meeting.

Ratification of Appointment of KPMG LLP (Proposal 2)

The Board has directed that KPMG’s appointment for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021 be submitted to our stockholders for ratification at the Annual Meeting. KPMG is well qualified to act as our independent registered public accounting firm and has a deep understanding of our operations and accounting practices. The Audit Committee considered the qualifications, performance, and independence of KPMG, the quality of its discussions with KPMG, and the fees charged by KPMG for the level and quality of services provided during 2020, and determined that the reappointment of KPMG is in the best interest of the Company and its stockholders.

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Approval of Executive Compensation (Proposal 3)

Our CEO and other executive officers have demonstrated their commitment to fair pay and pay for performance. Our executives’ compensation is heavily weighted towards variable cash and long-term equity incentives, linking our executives’ pay opportunity to the execution of Company strategies and enhancing the interests of our stockholders. We are committed to effective compensation governance, as demonstrated by the following compensation policies and practices:

Advisory Vote on a Stockholder Proposal (Proposal 4)

A stockholder has informed the Company that he intends to present the proposal set forth below at our Annual Meeting. The name and address of the stockholder and the number of the Company’s securities that the stockholder owns will be provided to stockholders promptly upon request. If the stockholder (or his “qualified representative”) is present at the Annual Meeting and properly submits the proposal for a vote, then the stockholder proposal will be voted upon at the Annual Meeting. In accordance with federal securities laws, the stockholder proposal is presented under Proposal 4 as submitted by the stockholder and is quoted verbatim. The Company disclaims all responsibility for the content of the proposal and the supporting statement, including other sources referenced in the supporting statement.

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THE MEETING

Purpose, Date and Time

We are furnishing this Proxy Statement to our stockholders in connection with the solicitation by the Board of proxies to be voted at the Annual Meeting and any adjournments or postponements of that meeting. The Annual Meeting will be held in a virtual format via live audio webcast on Wednesday, June 9, 2021, at 9:00 a.m., Central Time, for the purposes described in the accompanying Notice of Annual Meeting. Stockholders can attend the meeting via the Internet at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/aal2021 by using the 16-digit control number which appears on the Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials, the proxy card (printed in the box and marked by the arrow), and the instructions that accompanied your proxy materials.

The approximate date we are first sending the Notice of Annual Meeting and accompanying proxy materials to stockholders, or sending a Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials and posting the proxy materials at www.proxydocs.com/AAL, is April 29, 2021.

When used in this Proxy Statement, the terms “we,” “us,” “our” and “the Company” refer to American Airlines Group Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries. “AAG” refers to American Airlines Group Inc. and “American” refers to AAG’s wholly-owned subsidiary American Airlines, Inc.

Record Date; Stockholders Entitled to Vote

Stockholders of record at the close of business on April 13, 2021 (the “record date”) are entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting. On the record date, there were 641,383,123 shares of our common stock, $0.01 par value per share (“Common Stock”), outstanding and eligible to be voted at the Annual Meeting. Each share of Common Stock entitles its owner to one vote on each matter submitted to the stockholders. As of the record date, approximately 4.8 million of the issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock were held in the Disputed Claims Reserve established in accordance with AMR Corporation’s fourth amended joint plan of reorganization. Pursuant to the plan, the shares held in the Disputed Claims Reserve will be voted by the disbursing agent holding these shares in the same proportion as the other outstanding shares of Common Stock are voted.

A list of the names of stockholders entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting will be available to stockholders for ten days prior to the Annual Meeting for any purpose germane to the Annual Meeting. Please contact our Corporate Secretary at caroline.ray@aa.com if you wish to examine the list prior to the Annual Meeting. The stockholder list will also be available during the virtual Annual Meeting for examination by any stockholder at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/aal2021.

Your vote is very important. You are encouraged to vote as soon as possible.

Virtual Stockholder Meeting

The virtual meeting format enables stockholders to participate fully, and equally, from any location around the world, at little to no cost. We designed the format of our Annual Meeting to ensure that our stockholders who attend our Annual Meeting will be afforded the same rights and opportunities to participate as they would at an in-person meeting and to enhance stockholder access, participation and communication through online tools. Our directors will also attend the meeting.

Access to the Audio Webcast of the Annual Meeting. The live audio webcast of the Annual Meeting will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. Central Time. Online access to the audio webcast will open approximately thirty minutes prior to the start of the Annual Meeting to allow time for you to log in and test the computer audio system. We encourage our stockholders to access the meeting prior to the start time.

Log in Instructions. To attend the virtual Annual Meeting, log in at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/aal2021. Stockholders will need their unique 16-digit control number which appears on the Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials, the proxy card (printed in the box and marked by the arrow), and the instructions that accompanied the proxy materials. In the event that you do not have a control number, please contact your broker, bank or other nominee as soon as possible and no later than Wednesday, June 2, 2021, so that you can be provided with a control number and gain access to the meeting.

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Submitting questions prior to and at the virtual Annual Meeting. An online pre-meeting forum will be available to our stockholders at www.proxyvote.com approximately two weeks prior to the Annual Meeting. By accessing this online forum, our stockholders will be able to submit questions in writing in advance of the Annual Meeting. Stockholders may also submit questions in writing during the Annual Meeting on www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/aal2021. Stockholders will need their unique control number which appears on their Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials, the proxy card (printed in the box and marked by the arrow), and the instructions that accompanied the proxy materials.

As part of the Annual Meeting, and as time permits, we will hold a live Q&A session, during which we intend to answer questions submitted before or during the meeting in accordance with the Annual Meeting’s Rules of Conduct which are pertinent to the Company and the meeting matters. Answers to any such questions that are not addressed during the meeting will be published following the meeting on the Company’s website at www.aa.com under the links “Investor Relations”—“Annual Shareholders Meeting”—“2021 Annual Meeting of Stockholders Q&A.” Questions and answers will be grouped by topic and substantially similar questions will be grouped and answered once. In order to promote fairness, efficient use of the Company’s resources and to ensure all stockholders are responded to, we will respond to up to three questions from a single stockholder.

The Annual Meeting’s Rules of Conduct will be posted on www.proxyvote.com approximately two weeks prior to the Annual Meeting.

Quorum

The presence, in person or by proxy, of a majority of the outstanding shares of Common Stock as of the record date is necessary to constitute a quorum at the Annual Meeting. Shares are considered present “in person” if voted by the holder of those shares or by proxy during the Annual Meeting.

Vote Required to Approve Each Proposal

With respect to Proposal 1 (Election of Directors), each director must be elected by the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast with respect to such director by the shares present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote for the election of directors. A majority of the votes cast means that the number of votes cast “FOR” a nominee exceeds the number of votes cast “AGAINST” that nominee. Brokers do not have discretionary authority to vote on this proposal. Abstentions and broker non-votes (as defined below under “How to Vote Your Shares”) are not considered votes cast “FOR” or “AGAINST” a nominee’s election and will have no effect in determining whether a nominee has received a majority of the votes cast. In this election, an incumbent director nominee who does not receive the required number of votes for reelection is expected to tender his or her resignation to the Board in accordance with a policy adopted by the Board. Within approximately 90 days after certification of the election results of the stockholder vote, our Corporate Governance and Public Responsibility (“CGPR”) Committee (or such other committee as directed by the Board) will make a determination as to whether to accept or reject the tendered resignation. Following such determination, we will publicly disclose the decision regarding any tendered resignation in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

Approval of Proposal 2 (Ratification of Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm), Proposal 3 (Advisory Vote to Approve Executive Compensation) and Proposal 4 (Stockholder Proposal) will require the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares represented, in person or by proxy, and entitled to vote on the matter at the Annual Meeting, provided a quorum is present. Abstentions are considered in determining the number of votes required to obtain the necessary majority vote for the proposal and will have the same legal effect as voting against each proposal.

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How to Vote Your Shares

If you are a stockholder of record, you may vote your shares:

You will need to follow the instructions when using any of these methods to make sure your shares will be voted at the Annual Meeting. We encourage you to vote in advance by telephone, over the Internet or by mail by completing your proxy card, even if you plan to attend the virtual Annual Meeting.

If your shares are held in “street name” through a broker, bank or other nominee, you may instruct your broker, bank or other nominee to vote your shares by following the instructions that the broker, bank or other nominee provides to you with the proxy materials. If you do not provide the broker, bank or other nominee with specific voting instructions, the broker, bank or other nominee that holds your shares generally may vote on “routine” proposals but cannot vote on “non-discretionary” (non-routine) proposals. We believe that Proposal 2 is routine and that Proposals 1, 3, and 4 are non-discretionary.

Most brokers offer the ability for stockholders to submit voting instructions over the Internet, by telephone or by mail by completing a voting instruction card after you have read these proxy materials. If you hold shares through a broker, bank or other nominee and wish to vote your shares at the Annual Meeting, you will need your unique control number which appears on the instructions that accompanied the proxy materials. In any case, voting in advance over the Internet, by telephone or by mail will not prevent you from voting in person at the virtual Annual Meeting.

If the broker, bank or other nominee that holds your shares in “street name” returns a proxy card without voting on a non-discretionary proposal because it did not receive voting instructions from you on that proposal, this is referred to as a “broker non-vote.” “Broker non-votes” are considered in determining whether a quorum exists at the Annual Meeting. Broker non-votes will have no effect on the outcome of Proposals 1, 3 and 4. Because brokers have discretionary authority to vote on Proposal 2, broker non-votes are not expected on Proposal 2.

Revoking or Changing Your Vote

Stockholders may revoke or change their votes by the following methods (your last instruction received by us will be counted):

If you decide to revoke or change your vote other than by voting at the Annual Meeting, we must receive the notice of revocation or new vote by 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, the day prior to the date of the Annual Meeting.

If your shares are held in “street name,” you must contact your broker, bank or other nominee to revoke or change your vote. The revocation or change must be made by the broker, bank or other nominee before the Annual Meeting.

Authority of Proxies

All proper votes received by us by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, and not revoked will be voted at the Annual Meeting in accordance with the directions noted. In the absence of instructions, shares represented by a signed and dated proxy card will be voted “FOR” the election of all director nominees, “FOR” the ratification of the appointment of the independent registered public accounting firm, “FOR” the approval, on a non-binding, advisory basis, of executive compensation as disclosed in this Proxy Statement, and “AGAINST” the stockholder proposal.

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If any other matters properly come before the Annual Meeting, the persons named as proxies on the proxy card will vote upon those matters according to their judgment. The Board knows of no other items of business that will be presented for consideration at the Annual Meeting other than those described in this Proxy Statement.

Solicitation of Votes

In addition to soliciting votes through the mail, we may solicit votes through our directors, officers and employees in person and by e-mail, telephone or facsimile. We may also request brokerage firms, nominees, custodians and fiduciaries to forward proxy materials to the beneficial owners of shares held of record by them. We will pay all expenses incurred in connection with the solicitation of proxies. In addition, we have retained Innisfree M&A Incorporated to assist in the solicitation for an anticipated fee of $25,000, plus expenses.

Inspector of Election

All votes at the Annual Meeting will be counted by Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc., our inspector of election. The inspector of election will separately tabulate affirmative and negative votes, abstentions and broker non-votes.

Important Notice Regarding the Internet Availability of Proxy Materials for the Annual Meeting

The Notice of Annual Meeting, this Proxy Statement and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020 are available at www.proxydocs.com/AAL prior to the Annual Meeting and at www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/aal2021 during the Annual Meeting.

Electronic Delivery of Proxy Materials

In order to eliminate the mailing of a paper notice and to speed your ability to access the proxy materials (including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020), we encourage you to sign up for electronic delivery of the Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials using the instructions described below. Stockholders can help us reduce costs and the impact on the environment by electing to receive and access future copies of our proxy statements, annual reports and other stockholder materials electronically by email. If your shares are registered directly in your name with our stock registrar and transfer agent, American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC (“AST”), you can make this election by going to AST’s website (www.astfinancial.com) and (1) clicking Client Login, then Shareholders & Investors, then Manage My Accounts, then select the type of Account—US Shareholder or Non US Shareholder, then Login to Transact; (2) entering the information required to gain access to your account; and (3) clicking Receive Company Mailing via E-Mail. You may also make this election by following the instructions provided when voting over the Internet. If you hold your shares in a brokerage account or otherwise through a third party in “street name,” please refer to the information provided by your broker, bank or other nominee for instructions on how to elect to receive and view future annual meeting materials electronically.

This year, we intend both to mail our proxy materials to certain stockholders and to use the “Notice and Access” method of providing proxy materials to certain stockholders. Under the Notice and Access method, if you have not opted to receive an e-mail notification, you will receive by mail a simple “Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials,” which will direct you to a website where you may access proxy materials online. You will also be told how to request proxy materials (at no charge) via mail or e-mail, as you prefer.

Householding of Proxy Materials

The SEC has adopted rules that permit companies and intermediaries (e.g., brokers) to satisfy the delivery requirements for proxy statements and annual reports, or Notices Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials, with respect to two or more stockholders sharing the same address by delivering a single proxy statement and annual report, or Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials, addressed to those stockholders. This process, which is commonly referred to as “householding,” potentially means extra convenience for stockholders and cost savings for companies. In accordance with these rules, only one proxy statement and annual report, or Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials, will be delivered to multiple stockholders sharing an address unless we have received contrary instructions from one or more of the stockholders. Stockholders who currently receive multiple copies of the proxy statement and annual report, or Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials, at their address and would like to request “householding” of their communications should contact their broker if they are beneficial owners or direct their request to our Corporate Secretary at the contact information below if they are registered holders.

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If, at any time, you no longer wish to participate in “householding” and would prefer to receive a separate proxy statement and annual report, or Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials, please notify your broker, if you are a beneficial owner or, if you are a registered holder, direct your written request to Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc., Householding Department, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, New York 11717 or call Broadridge at 1-866-540-7095.

If requested, we will also promptly deliver, upon oral or written request, a separate copy of the proxy statement and annual report, or Notice Regarding the Availability of Proxy Materials to any shareholder residing at an address to which only one copy was mailed.

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PROPOSAL 1—ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Election of Directors

Upon the recommendation of the CGPR Committee, the Board has nominated the 12 director candidates listed below under the section “Director Nominees.” Each nominee is currently a director of the Company, two of whom were appointed since our 2020 annual meeting of stockholders.

The authorized number of directors is currently set at 12, and the Board currently consists of 12 members. If elected as a director at the Annual Meeting, each of the nominees will serve a one-year term expiring at the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders and until his or her successor has been duly elected and qualified.

Each of the nominees has consented to serve as a director, if elected.

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Director Nominees

Information regarding our director nominees, including their qualifications and principal occupations, as well as the key experience and qualifications that led the Board to conclude each nominee should serve as a director, is provided below. The categories of key skills are:

There are no family relationships among the directors and our executive officers.

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BOARD COMPOSITION

How We Build a Board that is Right for American Airlines

Each of the 12 current nominees for director recommended for election at the Annual Meeting is a current member of the Board, two of whom were appointed since our 2020 annual meeting of stockholders. The effectiveness of the Board and the recruitment of directors are overseen by the CGPR Committee. In evaluating candidates for director, the CGPR Committee considers the qualifications described below. Based on its evaluation of each of the current nominees’ qualifications and his or her prior performance as a director, the CGPR Committee determined to recommend each nominee for election. The CGPR Committee received no nominations from stockholders for the Annual Meeting. Ms. Brown was identified to the Company by a third party search firm. This search firm also was involved in the identification of Mr. Steenland, who was also previously known to our Chief Executive Officer and certain of our executive officers due to his involvement in the airline industry.

Consistent with its charter, the CGPR Committee proposes for nomination existing directors and new candidates who have the highest personal and professional integrity, have demonstrated exceptional intelligence and judgment, have proven leadership skills, as well as the requisite skills necessary to advance our long term strategic plan, are committed to our success and have the ability to work effectively with the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and other members of the Board. Also, a nominee must possess skills, experience and expertise appropriate to best serve the long-term financial interests of our stockholders.

The Corporate Governance Guidelines (the “Governance Guidelines”) specify that it is the objective of the Board that it be composed of individuals who have, among other things, a diversity of skills, expertise and perspective (including based on age, gender, race and ethnic diversity) appropriate for the business and operation of the Company. The Board currently includes a group of individuals who have demonstrated success and leadership in a variety of fields and endeavors, with a broad diversity of experience, opinions, perspectives, professions, skills, expertise, education, geographic representation and backgrounds. The CGPR Committee and the Board believe that the Board is, and should continue to be, comprised of persons who can contribute experience in public company board service and corporate governance and areas such as strategic planning, leadership of large, complex organizations, international and global operations, the airline, travel and transportation industry, finance, accounting, and investment, risk management, legal and regulatory, customer service, marketing and consumer products, media and communications, labor relations and human resources (including leadership assessment and diversity), real estate and facilities, safety, information technology, climate change, sustainability and community service. The CGPR Committee does not assign specific weight to particular criteria and no particular criterion is necessarily applicable to all prospective nominees.

The Governance Guidelines also require that any directors who also serve as chief executive officers of public companies should not serve on more than two boards of public companies other than the Company’s Board, and other directors should not serve on more than four boards of public companies, other than the Company’s Board.

The CGPR Committee periodically evaluates the performance of the Board, its committees and the directors in an effort to facilitate the continuous improvement of the Board, as well as to assess the specific qualifications, experiences and perspectives of future director candidates that would be most valuable and have the most impact on our success.

In accordance with applicable listing standards of The Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”), the Board confirms that at least a majority of the Board is independent in accordance with the Nasdaq definition of independence and that the members of the Board, as a group, maintain the requisite qualifications under applicable Nasdaq listing standards for service on the Audit, Compensation, and CGPR Committees.

Board Diversity and Tenure

The CGPR Committee recognizes the benefits of diversity in the boardroom, including better reflecting our diverse customer and employee base and the healthy debate that stems from different viewpoints that may result from diverse backgrounds. Accordingly, our Board is diverse in many ways, with differing geographic, business, gender and racial backgrounds. One-third of our Board nominees are diverse based on gender or ethnicity.

Eleven out of our 12 Board nominees have served on our Board for less than eight years and four have been on our Board for less than six years. We believe this attains the right balance between new directors who bring new ideas and insights and longer-serving directors with deep institutional knowledge of our Board and company.

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Stockholder Recommendations or Nominations of Director Candidates

The Board welcomes recommendations from its stockholders for director candidates that they believe meet the standards described above under “How We Build a Board that is Right for American Airlines.” We encourage stockholders with any such director candidate recommendations to contact us directly prior to going through the formal director nomination procedures described below. The CGPR Committee has a policy of considering candidates who are recommended by stockholders for membership to the Board in the same manner as candidates recommended by members of the Board.

Under our Bylaws, any stockholder wishing to nominate a director should submit in writing the candidate’s name, biographical information, business qualifications and other information required by the Bylaws, to Susan D. Kronick, Chair of the Corporate Governance and Public Responsibility Committee, American Airlines Group Inc., MD8B503, 1 Skyview Drive, Fort Worth, Texas 76155. All submissions must be accompanied by the written consent of the proposed nominee to be named as a nominee and to serve as a director, if elected, and must otherwise be in compliance with our Bylaws. The Bylaws require that written nominations be received by the Company no sooner than 120 days and no later than 90 days prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting of stockholders. For the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders, notice must be delivered no sooner than February 9, 2022 and no later than March 11, 2022. All qualified submissions will be reviewed by the CGPR Committee at the next appropriate meeting.

In addition, our Bylaws permit certain of our stockholders who have beneficially owned 3% or more of our outstanding common stock continuously for at least three years to submit nominations to be included in the Company’s proxy materials for up to 20% of the total number of directors then serving. Notice of proxy access director nominations for the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders must be delivered to our Corporate Secretary at our principal executive offices no earlier than November 3, 2021 and no later than the close of business on December 30, 2021. The notice must set forth the information required by our Bylaws with respect to each proxy access director nomination that eligible stockholder or stockholders intend to present at the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders and must otherwise be in compliance with our Bylaws.

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PROPOSAL 2—RATIFICATION OF APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

Ratification of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Our Audit Committee is directly responsible for the appointment, compensation, retention and oversight of our independent registered public accounting firm. Our Audit Committee annually reviews the independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications, performance, fees and independence. Following its review, our Audit Committee has selected KPMG LLP (“KPMG”) to serve as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021, and our Board has directed that KPMG’s appointment be submitted to our stockholders for ratification at the Annual Meeting.

KPMG has served as our independent registered public accounting firm since 2014. The Audit Committee believes it is important for the independent registered public accounting firm to maintain its objectivity and independence. In accordance with SEC rules and KPMG policies, the firm’s lead engagement partner rotates every five years. The Audit Committee and its Chair are directly involved in the selection of KPMG’s new lead engagement partner. Furthermore, in order to assure continuing auditor independence, the Audit Committee periodically considers whether there should be a regular rotation of the independent registered public accounting firm.

The Board has directed that KPMG’s appointment for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021 be submitted to our stockholders for ratification at the Annual Meeting. The Audit Committee and the Board believe that the continued retention of KPMG to serve as the Company’s independent external auditor is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. If the stockholders do not ratify the appointment of KPMG, the Audit Committee will reconsider the appointment.

A representative of KPMG is expected to be present at the Annual Meeting. The representative will have an opportunity to make a statement if he or she desires to do so, and the representative is also expected to be available to respond to appropriate questions from stockholders.

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm Fees

The following table presents fees billed for professional services rendered by KPMG, AAG’s principal accountant for the audit of the financial statements of AAG and its subsidiaries as of and for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, as well as fees billed in this period for other services rendered by KPMG.

“Audit Fees” are for professional services rendered for the audits of the annual financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K (including fees for the audits of internal control over financial reporting as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended) and quarterly reviews of the financial statements included in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.

“Audit-Related Fees” are for professional services rendered in connection with securities offerings and other SEC filings, significant auditing work on transactions and consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards and attest services.

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“Tax Fees” primarily include fees for professional services rendered in connection with tax compliance services.

There were no fees that fall into the classification of “All Other Fees” for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.

Policy on Audit Committee Pre-Approval

The Audit Committee is responsible for appointing, setting compensation for and overseeing the work of the independent registered public accounting firm. The Audit Committee pre-approves all audit and permissible non-audit services provided by our independent registered public accounting firm, including audit services, audit-related services, tax services and other services. The Audit Committee has delegated pre-approval authority to its Chair. Under this delegation, the Chair must report any pre-approval decision he or she makes to the Audit Committee at its next meeting following such approval.

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PROPOSAL 3—ADVISORY VOTE TO APPROVE EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION (SAY-ON-PAY)

Section 14A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), allows our stockholders to vote to approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of our named executive officers as disclosed in this Proxy Statement pursuant to the compensation disclosure rules of the SEC, commonly known as a “say-on-pay” vote. The Board has adopted a policy providing for an annual say-on-pay advisory vote. Unless the Board modifies its policy on the frequency of future say-on-pay advisory votes, we will bring these proposals to our stockholders annually and the next say-on-pay advisory vote will be held at the 2022 annual meeting of stockholders.

Our Compensation Committee and the Board believe that our compensation practices align our executive compensation structure with stockholders’ interests and current market practices. Our compensation strategy is designed to provide a total compensation package that will attract and retain high-caliber executives and align their objectives, incentives and contributions with corporate objectives and stockholder interests, as well as to be flexible and complementary to meet our compensation objectives. At the 2020 annual meeting of stockholders, our stockholders approved the compensation of our named executive officers with an approval representing approximately 87% of the shares represented in person or by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote.

Highlights of our compensation program and our pay-for-performance results include:

Executive Compensation Limits Under Payroll Support Agreements. We entered into, with the federal government, payroll support and loan agreements under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”), a payroll support agreement (“PSP2”) under Subtitle A of Title IV of Division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 and a payroll support agreement (“PSP3”) under section 7301 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 pursuant to which our named executive officers became subject to significant limits on their compensation. Under the applicable limits, each of our named executive officers’ total compensation during any 12-month period from March 24, 2020 until April 1, 2023, is capped at an amount equal to the sum of (i) $3 million and (ii) 50% of the total compensation in excess of $3 million received by such executive officer in calendar year 2019. Our 2020 executive compensation programs did not cause any of our named executive officers’ compensation to exceed their applicable limit. However, for 2021, we have implemented significant reductions to the total target direct compensation for our named executive officers in order to comply with such limits, and they will continue to be a primary determinant of our named executive officers’ compensation over the remaining period during which they are in effect.

A Commitment to Fair Pay and Pay-for-Performance with a substantial portion of each executive officer’s compensation being “at risk” and aligned with stockholder interests, as shown by the following:

No Short-Term Cash Incentive Payouts for 2020. In June 2020, upon the recommendation of management, our Compensation Committee approved terminating our 2020 short-term incentive plan (“STIP”) in recognition of the unprecedented business challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, and as a result, none of our named executive officers received any STIP payout.

Performance-Vesting Restricted Stock Units (“RSUs”) Tracking Below Threshold. Our long-term incentive program (“LTIP”) for our named executive officers incorporates both performance- and time-vesting components, with the performance-vesting component weighted at least 50% by target value. Each named executive officer held three

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outstanding awards with performance-vesting components as of the end of 2020, which were all tracking below threshold as of the end of 2020. In February 2021, it was determined that the pre-tax adjusted income goal for the 2018 performance-vesting RSUs were achieved at below threshold, and these awards were forfeited in their entirety.

Realizable Compensation Significantly Below Target Compensation. As shown in tables below, as of December 31, 2020, our named executive officers’ 2020 and three-year average realizable compensation was significantly below their target compensation.

2020 Realizable Compensation

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Three-year Average Realizable Compensation

No Employment, Change in Control or Severance Agreements. None of our executive officers is party to any employment or severance agreement providing change in control or severance benefits. These were eliminated at our executive officers’ request.

A Continued Commitment to Good Compensation Governance Practices. Compensation packages for our executive officers are (i) established by our Compensation Committee that consists solely of independent directors, (ii) consistent with market practice, and (iii) reasonable in light of our corporate and each individual executive’s performance.

Clawback Provisions. All incentive compensation paid to our executive officers are subject to clawback provisions.

Stock Ownership Guidelines. We maintain stock ownership guidelines that further align their long-term interests with those of our stockholders, as well as good disclosure practices.

Mitigating Compensation Risk. We mitigate compensation risk by providing a compensation package that focuses on both short- and long-term goals and requiring a substantial stock ownership commitment, which encourages our executives to focus on the Company’s success both during the immediate fiscal year and for the future.

For more information about our compensation practices and philosophy, see the section entitled “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” beginning on page 48.

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We are asking our stockholders to indicate their support for our named executive officer compensation as described in this Proxy Statement pursuant to the compensation disclosure rules of the SEC. This vote gives stockholders the opportunity to express their views on the named executive officers’ compensation. This vote is not intended to address any specific item of compensation, but rather the overall compensation of our executive officers and our philosophy, policies and practices described in this Proxy Statement. Accordingly, we are asking our stockholders to vote “FOR” the following resolution at the Annual Meeting:

“RESOLVED, that AAG’s stockholders approve, on a non-binding, advisory basis, the compensation of AAG’s named executive officers, as disclosed pursuant to the compensation disclosure rules of the SEC in the Compensation Discussion and Analysis section, the compensation tables, narrative discussion and any related material disclosed in this Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting.”

The say-on-pay vote is advisory, and therefore not binding on us, our Compensation Committee or the Board. However, the Board and Compensation Committee value the opinions of our stockholders and will consider the outcome of this advisory vote when making future decisions about executive compensation.

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PROPOSAL 4—ADVISORY VOTE ON A STOCKHOLDER PROPOSAL TO AMEND CERTAIN VOTING THRESHOLDS

A stockholder has informed the Company that he intends to present the proposal set forth below at our Annual Meeting. The name and address of the stockholder and the number of the Company’s securities that the stockholder own will be provided to stockholders promptly upon request. If the stockholder (or his “qualified representative”) is present at the Annual Meeting and properly submits the proposal for a vote, then the stockholder proposal will be voted upon at the Annual Meeting. In accordance with federal securities laws, the stockholder proposal is presented below as submitted by the stockholder and is quoted verbatim. The Company disclaims all responsibility for the content of the proposal and the supporting statement, including other sources referenced in the supporting statement.

Stockholder Proposal

Proposal 4—Simple Majority Vote

RESOLVED, Shareholders request that our board take each step necessary so that each voting requirement in our charter and bylaws (that is explicit or implicit due to default to state law) that calls for a greater than simple majority vote be eliminated, and replaced by a requirement for a majority of the votes cast for and against applicable proposals, or a simple majority in compliance with applicable laws. If necessary this means the closest standard to a majority of the votes cast for and against such proposals consistent with applicable laws.

Supporting Statement

Shareholders are willing to pay a premium for shares of companies that have excellent corporate governance. Supermajority voting requirements have been found to be one of 6 entrenching mechanisms that are negatively related to company performance according to “What Matters in Corporate Governance” by Lucien Bebchuk, Alma Cohen and Allen Ferrell of the Harvard Law School. Supermajority requirements are used to block initiatives supported by most shareowners but opposed by a status quo management.

This proposal topic won from 74% to 88% support at Weyerhaeuser, Alcoa, Waste Management, Goldman Sachs and FirstEnergy. These votes would have been higher than 74% to 88% if more shareholders had access to independent proxy voting advice. The proponents of these proposals included Ray T. Chevedden and William Steiner. Church & Dwight shareholders gave 99%-support to a 2020 proposal on this same topic.

The current supermajority vote requirement does not make sense. For instance with our 80% simple majority vote requirement in an election calling for an 80% shareholder approval in which 81% of shares cast ballots—then 2% of shares opposed to certain improvement proposal topics would prevail over the 79% of shares that vote in favor.

In anticipation of impressive shareholder support for this proposal topic an enlightened Governance Committee and an enlightened Board of Directors and could expedite adoption of this proposal topic by giving shareholders an opportunity to vote on a binding management proposal at our 2021 annual meeting. Hence adoption could take place in 2021 instead of 2022.

Adopting simple majority vote can be one step to make the corporate governance of American Airlines more competitive and unlock shareholder value.

Please vote yes:

Simple Majority Vote—Proposal 4

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The Board’s Statement in Opposition

The Board has considered this proposal and concluded that its adoption is not in the best interests of our stockholders. Accordingly, the Board unanimously recommends a vote AGAINST this proposal for the following reasons.

We have an excellent corporate governance structure.

Our Board is firmly committed to excellence in corporate governance and has adopted a wide range of practices and procedures that promote effective Board oversight. Our Board believes that the corporate governance concerns raised by the proponent are misplaced. Some of the Company’s progressive governance practices include the following:

Existing Supermajority Voting Thresholds Apply in Limited Circumstances

A majority of the total number of votes present at a meeting is required for passage of all matters voted upon by stockholders, other than select proposals to amend the Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws. Amendment to the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation relating to the preservation of the tax attributes of our net operating losses, changes to our Board, the calling of special meetings of stockholders, amendments to the Bylaws and amendments to the Certificate of Incorporation require an affirmative vote of 66.7% of the outstanding shares. Amendment of the Bylaws by the stockholders requires an affirmative vote of 80% of the outstanding shares.

Supermajority voting provisions such as these are prevalent among S&P 500 companies, with nearly half of companies within the index maintaining some form of a supermajority voting threshold. These voting standards comply with applicable law, and are in place to maximize long-term value for our stockholders and provide protection for all stockholders against self-interested actions of one or a few large stockholders.

Our Board believes that in the limited circumstances as provided in our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws, the higher voting requirements are appropriate because certain fundamental matters should require the support of a broad consensus of the Company’s stockholders, rather than a simple majority of the votes present at a meeting.

Benefits to Stockholders from Supermajority Provisions

Under a simple majority voting standard, where only a “majority of the votes cast for and against” is required, a few large stockholders would have the power to approve actions that would significantly alter the governance of the Company, including fundamental changes to the Company’s corporate governance structure or operations that could negatively impact the interests of all stockholders. This means a very small group of stockholders could act in their own self-interests and possibly to the detriment of the Company’s other stockholders. Our Board believes that the few heightened voting standards currently existing in the Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws protect our stockholders against such actions and should not be eliminated.

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SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT

The following table provides information regarding the beneficial ownership of our Common Stock as of April 13, 2021, by (1) each of our directors and nominees for director, (2) each of the individuals named in the section entitled “Executive Compensation—Summary Compensation Table” on page 62 and (3) all of our directors and executive officers as a group, based in each case on information furnished to us by these persons. We believe that each of the named individuals and each director and executive officer included in the group has sole voting and investment power with regard to the shares shown, except that certain individuals may share voting and investment power with their spouses and except as otherwise noted.

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The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our Common Stock as of April 13, 2021 for each person known to us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding Common Stock.

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE

Governance Overview

Maintaining leading governance practices is and has been a long-standing priority, and we regularly assess and refine our corporate governance policies and procedures to take into account evolving best practices.

Our Board has adopted the Governance Guidelines to facilitate our mission and to establish general principles and policies by which the Board manages its affairs. The Governance Guidelines are reviewed periodically by the CGPR Committee and are posted on our website at www.aa.com under the links “Investor Relations”—“Corporate Governance.”

Board Leadership and Structure

Pursuant to our Bylaws, the Board is responsible for filling the positions of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and the independent members of the Board elect the Lead Independent Director, with the persons they deem qualified, as well as for removing and replacing such persons as and when the Board may deem necessary or appropriate. The Board periodically reviews AAG’s leadership structure and may modify the structure as it deems appropriate, given the specific circumstances then facing the Company.

The Board is currently led by Mr. Parker, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Mr. Cahill, our Lead Independent Director. We believe that our current leadership structure strikes an appropriate balance between effective and efficient Company leadership and oversight by independent directors.

The Board believes that having Mr. Parker serve as both Chairman and Chief Executive Officer is the most effective leadership structure for the Company at this time. Mr. Parker has over 30 years of experience in the airline industry, nearly 20 years of experience as an airline Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, mergers and acquisitions experience and prior service as a director of other large public companies. This experience makes him uniquely well positioned to lead AAG’s business, operations and strategy.

The combination of the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman roles allows consistent communication and coordination throughout the Company, assures effective and efficient implementation of corporate strategy and is important in unifying our team members behind a single vision. The combination of the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman roles is balanced by our strong Lead Independent Director position, by the independence of all of our other directors, each of whom has significant experience in leadership roles at public companies and other large, complex organizations and by the four principal committees of the Board, each of which consists solely of independent directors.

Lead Independent Director Responsibilities

The Board recognizes the importance of strong independent Board leadership. All of our directors are independent under the standards provided in the Governance Guidelines and under applicable Nasdaq listing standards, except for Mr. Parker, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Additionally, the independent directors of the Board periodically elect a Lead Independent Director when the Chairman is not independent. The Board believes that the Lead Independent Director provides the Company and the Board with the same independent leadership, oversight and benefits that would be provided by an independent Chairman. As a result of our stockholder engagement, in 2017 we amended our Bylaws to allow for the selection of the Lead Independent Director by only the independent directors of the Board, and codified our existing practices regarding the authority and role of the Lead Independent Director to enhance transparency and ensure that the appropriate balance of authority, already characteristic of our governance practices, is memorialized in our governing documents.

The independent directors of the Board have elected Mr. Cahill to serve as the Board’s Lead Independent Director. Mr. Cahill has been a member and the Lead Independent Director of the Board since December 2013. He also serves as a member of our Audit Committee and CGPR Committee. Mr. Cahill’s extensive leadership and operations experience in executive leadership roles at global public companies, including as Vice Chairman of Kraft Heinz, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kraft Foods Group and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc., his accounting and financial expertise and public company board and corporate governance experience, make him qualified to serve as Lead Independent Director of our Board.

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Director Independence

The Governance Guidelines contain standards for determining director independence that meet or exceed the applicable rules of the SEC and Nasdaq listing standards. The Governance Guidelines define an “independent” director as one who:

The Governance Guidelines also provide that the Board will consider all other relevant facts and circumstances, including issues that may arise as a result of any director compensation (whether direct or indirect), any charitable contributions we make to organizations with which a director is affiliated and any consulting arrangement between the Company and a director. The CGPR Committee reports annually to the full Board on these matters.

Pursuant to the Governance Guidelines, the CGPR Committee and the Board undertake an annual review of director independence. Based on the CGPR Committee’s review in April 2021, the Board affirmatively determined that all of our directors are independent under the standards provided in the Governance Guidelines and under applicable Nasdaq listing standards, except for Mr. Parker, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, who is an employee.

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The following types and categories of transactions, relationships and arrangements were considered by our Board in making its independence determinations in 2021. Excluded were ordinary course air transportation by corporations or other organizations where the director’s interest solely arises from such person’s position as a director or advisor to such other corporation or organization. All of the reviewed transactions and arrangements were entered into in the ordinary course of business and none of the business transactions, donations or grants involved an amount that exceeded the greater of 5% of the recipient entity’s revenues or $200,000.

The Board has concluded that these transactions and arrangements do not impair  the directors’ exercise of independent judgment in carrying out their responsibilities as directors.

Board Diversity and Tenure

Our Board believes that diversity is an important aspect of an effective board. The CGPR Committee seeks to recommend individuals to the Board with, among other things, a diversity of skills, experience, expertise and perspective appropriate for the business and operation of the Company. We recognize the benefits of racial and gender diversity in the boardroom, including better reflecting our diverse customer and employee base and the healthy debate that stems from different viewpoints that may result from diverse backgrounds. Accordingly, our Board is diverse in many ways, with differing geographic, business and racial backgrounds. One-third of our Board nominees are diverse based on gender or ethnicity.

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We believe that fresh perspectives and new ideas are critical to a forward-looking and strategic Board. At the same time, given the extremely complex nature of our business, it is equally important to benefit from the valuable experience and institutional knowledge that longer-serving directors bring to the boardroom. In October 2020 and February 2021, respectively, Mr. Steenland and Ms. Brown joined our Board, bringing our total board size to 12. In November 2015, we added two new directors to our Board, Ms. Kronick and Mr. Nesbitt. Our remaining directors, other than Mr. Robinson, joined our Board in December 2013 at the effective date of the merger with US Airways. The Board strongly believes that the current mix of directors provides the Company with an appropriate balance of knowledge, experience and capability, allowing us to leverage deep company experience and knowledge in addition to new viewpoints and innovative ideas among newer directors. Eleven out of our 12 Board nominees have served on our Board for less than eight years and four have been on our Board for less than six years.

Gender Diversity		Racial/Ethnic Diversity
Tenure

Board Self-Evaluation

Our Governance Guidelines and CGPR Committee charter provide that the CGPR Committee must conduct a periodic assessment of the performance of the Board, including the committees, and provide the results to the full Board for discussion. The purpose of the review is to increase the effectiveness of the Board as a whole and of each of the committees. The assessment includes an evaluation of the Board and each committee’s contribution as a whole, of specific areas in which the Board, the applicable committee and/or management believe better contributions could be made and of the overall make-up and composition of the Board and its committees.

Board Meetings

The Board conducts its business through meetings of the full Board and committees of the Board. The Board regularly meets in executive session with only independent directors of the Board present. During 2020, the Board held eleven meetings, six of which included executive sessions comprised of only independent directors. In 2020, each incumbent director attended at least 75% of the aggregate number of meetings of the Board and of the committees on which he or she served, except for Mr. Steenland, who was unable to attend one meeting for each of the Audit Committee and Finance Committee due to a commitment he made prior to joining the Board.

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Committees

The Board currently has four standing, principal committees: the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee, the CGPR Committee and the Finance Committee. The primary responsibilities, membership and meeting information for the committees of our Board during 2020 are summarized below. A copy of the charter of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and CGPR Committee is available on our website at www.aa.com under the links “Investor Relations”—“Corporate Governance.”

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