American Airlines vs its rivals

Side-by-side comparison against American Airlines's closest competitors — identity, store metrics, ratings & sentiment, and strategic intel.

Fly Delta
Contender
Core Identity
DeveloperAmerican AirlinesUnited AirlinesJetBlue AirwaysAlaska Airlines, Inc.Southwest Airlines Co.Delta Air Lines, Inc.TripItFlightAwareSkyscannerKAYAK
CategoryTravelTravelTravelTravelTravelTravelTravelTravelTravelTravel
PlatformiOS, AndroidAndroid, iOSiOS, AndroidAndroid, iOSAndroid, iOSAndroid, iOSiOS, AndroidiOS, AndroidiOSiOS, Android
Store Metrics
Rating4.7 / 54.8 / 54.9 / 54.8 / 54.8 / 54.8 / 54.8 / 54.9 / 54.8 / 54.8 / 5
Ratings Count976,8627,980,0751,452,8231,499,9167,025,1697,005,224299,580366,791492,543485,771
PriceFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFreeFree
Release DateJul 26, 2010Jul 20, 2011Feb 3, 2012Feb 20, 2010Dec 18, 2009Sep 1, 2010Apr 10, 2009Jun 4, 2009Feb 17, 2011Feb 28, 2009
Last UpdatedMay 4, 2026May 13, 2026Mar 23, 2026May 5, 2026May 6, 2026May 19, 2026Mar 17, 2026Apr 27, 2026May 12, 2026May 12, 2026
Sentiment & Reviews
Sentimentmixedmixedterriblenegativenegativeterriblemixedmixednegativemixed
Score55/10035/10015/10035/10025/10025/10045/10045/10035/10045/100
Praises
  • Streamlined booking and check-in workflows allow travelers to manage flight itineraries with minimal effort
  • Simplified check-in process provides a fast and efficient experience for frequent travelers
  • Ease of Navigation
  • Reliable flight operations and on-time performance keep frequent travelers satisfied with the core service
  • Friendly and professional staff interactions during travel remain a consistent highlight for loyal passengers
  • Core flight management and booking features provide a reliable travel experience for frequent flyers
  • Itinerary Organization
  • Pro Feature Value
  • Real-time flight tracking accuracy provides reliable information for airport pickups and family travel monitoring
  • Comprehensive flight search results provide travelers with diverse options for budget-conscious trip planning
  • Cross-airline search functionality helps users identify the most cost-effective travel itineraries
Complaints
  • Forced app updates requiring the latest operating system prevent users with older devices from accessing
  • Frequent application crashes and freezing during core tasks like check-in and booking
  • Authentication and Login Loops
  • Core Booking Failures
  • Stability and Crashes
  • Forced browser-based authentication loops prevent seamless access to boarding passes and account information
  • Assigned seating policy creates frustration and perceived unfairness for families and loyal cardholders
  • Persistent login failures and authentication loops prevent users from accessing their accounts post-update
  • Login and Authentication Issues
  • Email Parsing Failures
  • Cumbersome multi-factor authentication requirements create significant friction and prevent quick access to flight information
  • Frequent application freezing and unresponsiveness during search interactions disrupt the core booking flow
  • Inaccurate pricing and bait-and-switch tactics occur when navigating to third-party booking sites
Requests
  • Improved calendar integration to automatically sync flight schedules with personal mobile calendars
  • Clearer visibility of loyalty benefits and credit card perks during the booking flow
-
  • Biometric authentication support to eliminate the need for repeated manual web-based logins
  • Improved seat selection logic to keep families and travel companions together without extra fees
  • In-app feedback and bug reporting tools to improve communication between members and the airline
-
  • Simplified login persistence to avoid repeated multi-factor authentication steps during daily use
  • In-app notification support for price alerts would eliminate reliance on external email checking
  • Direct booking support to avoid the reliability issues associated with third-party travel brokers
Strategic Intel
Strengths
  • Contextual home screen surfaces travel tools based on journey stage
  • BLE-based terminal mapping reduces airport navigation friction
  • MileagePlus loyalty integration creates high switching costs
  • Starlink Wi-Fi provides a unique inflight connectivity moat
  • Global network integration offers comprehensive travel management
  • Live Activities for real-time lock-screen updates
  • Paisly integration for one-stop travel planning
  • Seamless Mint premium experience management
  • Dual-brand personalization retains legacy HawaiianMiles loyalty
  • Atmos Rewards integration drives repeat booking loops
  • Discounted baggage fees incentivize direct app conversion
  • Rapid Rewards loyalty loop drives repeat purchase frequency
  • Getaways bundled booking engine expands average transaction value
  • SkyMiles loyalty integration creates high switching costs
  • Today screen dashboard drives high session frequency
  • Award-winning brand status sustains organic install velocity
  • SAP Concur ecosystem integration for enterprise users
  • High-value Fare Drop Tracking ROI
  • Superior document management with Apple Intelligence support
  • Professional-grade ADS-B data sets provide a competitive barrier for aviation users
  • High-utility push alerts drive daily retention
  • NEXRAD radar integration increases session duration
  • Meta-search engine transparency drives high organic install velocity
  • Everywhere Search captures high-intent top-of-funnel travel planners
  • Cross-platform itinerary consolidation creates a high-utility hub
  • Camera-based bag measurement provides unique pre-trip utility
Weaknesses
  • Forced OS updates lock out users on older hardware
  • Persistent login loops prevent access to flight details
  • Frequent app crashes during check-in
  • Intrusive payment prompts during post-purchase flows
  • 0.7★ Android-iOS rating gap
  • Persistent authentication and login loops
  • Broken seat selection and bag payment workflows
  • Frequent app crashes (specifically in Inbox/Checkout)
  • Forced web-based authentication loops
  • Post-merger reservation sync failures
  • High reliance on phone support
  • Frequent crashes during boarding pass retrieval
  • Monetization of formerly free features driving negative sentiment
  • 0.4★ rating gap between iOS and Android
  • Persistent login authentication loops post-update
  • Android UI layout regressions causing navigation errors
  • Forced app installation requirement for boarding passes
  • Severe login and authentication instability
  • Email parsing size limitations
  • Aggressive paywalling of previously free features
  • Multi-factor authentication friction prevents quick access
  • Search interface keyboard-overlap bugs
  • Fifty percent price increase for ad-free access alienates long-term users
  • Frequent search-interface freezing disrupts core booking flow
  • Inaccurate price displays at checkout erode user trust
  • 0.7★ rating gap between iOS and Android
  • Persistent bait-and-switch pricing complaints
Pricingfreefreefreefreefreefreesubscriptionfreemiumfreefree
MomentumActiveActiveMaintenanceActiveActiveActiveActiveMaintenanceActiveActive
Update Cadence5 versions, 2 majors/6mo, ~5d avg5 versions, 1 majors/6mo, ~11d avg5 versions, ~7d avg5 versions, ~6d avg5 versions, 2 majors/6mo, ~14d avg5 versions, ~12d avg2 versions, 2 majors/6mo, ~6d avg5 versions, 1 majors/6mo, ~20d avg5 versions, 5 majors/6mo, ~10d avg5 versions, ~8d avg

Compare American Airlines head-to-head

Disclosure: Independent intel to help mobile builders succeed.

AI-powered analysis with editorial review, built from publicly available sources. Marlvel.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by American Airlines, its developer, the app publisher, Apple, or Google Play. All trademarks, logos, and screenshots referenced remain the property of their respective owners.

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