Long Term Purchase Commitment Additional Rights To Purchase Quantity Acquired

No definition available.

Name:	amr_LongTermPurchaseCommitmentAdditionalRightsToPurchaseQuantityAcquired
Namespace Prefix:	amr_
Data Type:	xbrli:positiveIntegerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Maximum amount of guarantee provided.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	amr_MaximumAmountOfGuaranteeProvided
Namespace Prefix:	amr_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Number Of Aircrafts To Be Purchased Under Previously Announced Plans

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	amr_NumberOfAircraftsToBePurchasedUnderPreviouslyAnnouncedPlans
Namespace Prefix:	amr_
Data Type:	xbrli:positiveIntegerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Principal term of new business, headcount reduced.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	amr_PrincipalTermOfNewBusinessHeadcountReduced
Namespace Prefix:	amr_
Data Type:	xbrli:integerItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Required To Be Paid By Company Under The Guarantee

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	amr_RequiredToPaidByCompanyUnderGuarantee
Namespace Prefix:	amr_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The minimum amount the entity agreed to spend under the long-term purchase commitment.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LongTermPurchaseCommitmentAmount
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LongTermPurchaseCommitmentLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

The remaining amount of the fixed and determinable portion of an unrecorded unconditional purchase obligation to be paid in more than four and within five years from the balance sheet date.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Statement of Financial Accounting Standard (FAS)

-Number 47

-Paragraph 7

-Subparagraph b

-LegacyDoc This reference is SUPERSEDED by the Accounting Standards Codification effective for interim and annual periods ending after September 15, 2009. This reference is included to help users transition from the previous accounting hierarchy and will be removed from future versions of this taxonomy.

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef

-Publisher FASB

-Name Accounting Standards Codification

-Topic 440

-SubTopic 10

-Section 50

-Paragraph 4

-Subparagraph (b)

-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6394976&loc=d3e25336-109308

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_UnrecordedUnconditionalPurchaseObligationBalanceOnFifthAnniversary
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The remaining amount of the fixed and determinable portion of an unrecorded unconditional purchase obligation to be paid within one year of the balance sheet date.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_UnrecordedUnconditionalPurchaseObligationBalanceOnFirstAnniversary
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The remaining amount of the fixed and determinable portion of an unrecorded unconditional purchase obligation to be paid in more than three and within four years from the balance sheet date.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_UnrecordedUnconditionalPurchaseObligationBalanceOnFourthAnniversary
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The remaining amount of the fixed and determinable portion of an unrecorded unconditional purchase obligation to be paid in more than one and within two years from the balance sheet date.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_UnrecordedUnconditionalPurchaseObligationBalanceOnSecondAnniversary
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The remaining amount of the fixed and determinable portion of an unrecorded unconditional purchase obligation to be paid in more than two and within three years from the balance sheet date.

+ References

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_UnrecordedUnconditionalPurchaseObligationBalanceOnThirdAnniversary
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

The remaining amount of the fixed and determinable portion of an unrecorded unconditional purchase obligation to be paid after five years from the balance sheet date.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_UnrecordedUnconditionalPurchaseObligationDueAfterFiveYears
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

Commitments, Contingencies And Guarantees (Narrative) (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended		3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2008 Boeing 787-9 Aircraft [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Purchase [Member]	Mar. 31, 2012 Lease [Member]
Long-term Purchase Commitment [Line Items]
Number of aircrafts to be purchased under previously announced plans			42
Rights to acquire additional number of aircrafts			58
Payments for the purchase commitments in remainder of 2012				$ 998,000,000	$ 742,000,000
Payments for the purchase commitments in 2013				1,500,000,000	1,000,000,000
Payments for the purchase commitments in 2014				555,000,000	1,200,000,000
Payments for the purchase commitments in 2015				311,000,000	1,400,000,000
Payments for the purchase commitments in 2016				341,000,000	1,600,000,000
Payments for the purchase commitments in 2017 and beyond				7,300,000,000	15,300,000,000
Purchase deposits, total				682,000,000
Maximum required to be paid by the company in one year under the guarantee		100,000,000
Maximum amount of guarantee provided		$ 75,000,000
Principal terms of new business, headcount reduced	13,000