Basis of Presentation and Recent Accounting Pronouncements (Details) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2017	Jan. 01, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Restricted cash	$ 12	$ 103	$ 12	$ 103
Operating revenues:
Passenger	10,674	10,353	20,154	19,350
Cargo	261	219	488	410
Other	708	655	1,402	1,287
Total operating revenues	11,643	11,227	22,044	21,047
Total operating expenses	10,615	9,628	20,585	18,711
Operating income	1,028	1,599	1,459	2,336
Total nonoperating expense, net	(259)	(210)	(417)	(412)
Income before income taxes	769	1,389	1,042	1,924
Income tax provision	203	525	289	720
Net income	$ 566	$ 864	$ 753	$ 1,204
Diluted earnings per common share (in dollars per share)	$ 1.22	$ 1.75	$ 1.60	$ 2.41
Deferred tax asset	$ 1,399		$ 1,399			$ 1,816
Air traffic liability	5,512		5,512			4,042
Current loyalty program liability	3,191		3,191			3,121
Noncurrent loyalty program liability	5,484		5,484			5,701
Total stockholders' equity (deficit)	(869)		(869)			(780)
As Reported [Member]
Operating revenues:
Passenger		$ 9,582		$ 17,737
Cargo		196		368
Other		1,327		2,624
Total operating revenues		11,105		20,729
Total operating expenses		9,570		18,593
Operating income		1,535		2,136
Total nonoperating expense, net		(244)		(480)
Income before income taxes		1,291		1,656
Income tax provision		488		619
Net income		$ 803		$ 1,037
Diluted earnings per common share (in dollars per share)		$ 1.63		$ 2.07
Deferred tax asset						427
Air traffic liability						3,978
Current loyalty program liability						2,791
Noncurrent loyalty program liability						0
Total stockholders' equity (deficit)						3,926
Restatement Adjustment [Member] | Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 [Member]
Operating revenues:
Deferred tax asset						1,389
Air traffic liability						64
Current loyalty program liability						330
Noncurrent loyalty program liability						5,701
Total stockholders' equity (deficit)						(4,706)
Restatement Adjustment [Member] | Accounting Standards Update 2014-09, Deferred Revenue Method [Member]
Operating revenues:
Passenger		$ 98		$ 268
Total operating revenues		98		268
Operating income		98		268
Income before income taxes		98		268
Income tax provision		37		101
Net income		61		167
Restatement Adjustment [Member] | Accounting Standards Update 2014-09, Reclassifications [Member]
Operating revenues:
Passenger		673		1,345
Cargo		23		42
Other		(672)		(1,337)
Total operating revenues		24		50
Total operating expenses		24		50
Restatement Adjustment [Member] | Accounting Standards Update 2017-07 [Member]
Operating revenues:
Total operating expenses		34		68
Operating income		(34)		(68)
Total nonoperating expense, net		34		68
Retained Earnings [Member] | Accounting Standards Update 2016-01 [Member]
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Cumulative effect of new accounting principle in period of adoption					$ 77
American Airlines, Inc. [Member]
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Restricted cash	12	103	12	103
Operating revenues:
Passenger	10,674	10,353	20,154	19,350
Cargo	261	219	488	410
Other	705	652	1,396	1,280
Total operating revenues	11,640	11,224	22,038	21,040
Total operating expenses	10,603	9,633	20,553	18,710
Operating income	1,037	1,591	1,485	2,330
Total nonoperating expense, net	(198)	(164)	(296)	(323)
Income before income taxes	839	1,427	1,189	2,007
Income tax provision	220	539	334	751
Net income	619	888	855	1,256
Deferred tax asset	1,556		1,556			2,071
Air traffic liability	5,512		5,512			4,042
Current loyalty program liability	3,191		3,191			3,121
Noncurrent loyalty program liability	5,484		5,484			5,701
Total stockholders' equity (deficit)	$ 10,831		$ 10,831			9,888
American Airlines, Inc. [Member] | As Reported [Member]
Operating revenues:
Passenger		9,582		17,737
Cargo		196		368
Other		1,324		2,617
Total operating revenues		11,102		20,722
Total operating expenses		9,575		18,592
Operating income		1,527		2,130
Total nonoperating expense, net		(198)		(391)
Income before income taxes		1,329		1,739
Income tax provision		502		650
Net income		827		1,089
Deferred tax asset						682
Air traffic liability						3,978
Current loyalty program liability						2,791
Noncurrent loyalty program liability						0
Total stockholders' equity (deficit)						14,594
American Airlines, Inc. [Member] | Restatement Adjustment [Member]
Operating revenues:
Income before income taxes				0
Net income				0
American Airlines, Inc. [Member] | Restatement Adjustment [Member] | Accounting Standards Update 2014-09 [Member]
Operating revenues:
Deferred tax asset						1,389
Air traffic liability						64
Current loyalty program liability						330
Noncurrent loyalty program liability						5,701
Total stockholders' equity (deficit)						$ (4,706)
American Airlines, Inc. [Member] | Restatement Adjustment [Member] | Accounting Standards Update 2014-09, Deferred Revenue Method [Member]
Operating revenues:
Passenger		98		268
Total operating revenues		98		268
Operating income		98		268
Income before income taxes		98		268
Income tax provision		37		101
Net income		61		167
American Airlines, Inc. [Member] | Restatement Adjustment [Member] | Accounting Standards Update 2014-09, Reclassifications [Member]
Operating revenues:
Passenger		673		1,345
Cargo		23		42
Other		(672)		(1,337)
Total operating revenues		24		50
Total operating expenses		24		50
American Airlines, Inc. [Member] | Restatement Adjustment [Member] | Accounting Standards Update 2017-07 [Member]
Operating revenues:
Total operating expenses		34		68
Operating income		(34)		(68)
Total nonoperating expense, net		$ 34		$ 68
American Airlines, Inc. [Member] | Retained Earnings [Member] | Accounting Standards Update 2016-01 [Member]
New Accounting Pronouncements or Change in Accounting Principle [Line Items]
Cumulative effect of new accounting principle in period of adoption					$ 77