June 28, 2011 - Reducing fuel consumption, carbon emissions and community noise are the focus as Boeing and American Airlines announced that the airline will be the launch customer for the evolutionary ecoDemonstrator Program. A Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 aircraft will be used to flight test and accelerate the market readiness of emerging technologies. 

"We are proud to have American Airlines as our launch partner for this new generation of technology that can bolster aviation's role as the most efficient means of global transportation," said Boeing Vice President of Environment and Aviation Policy Billy Glover. "There's no better way to prepare advanced technologies for market entry than flying them and no better choice than the best selling single-aisle airplane of all time, the Boeing Next-Generation 737."

"American Airlines recognizes our responsibility to minimize our impact on the environment as much as possible, and we look for every opportunity to do so," said Captain John Hale, American's vice president ? Flight. "Our partnership with Boeing allows us to make significant strides in putting more fuel-efficient planes in the air, which is the most effective way to reduce our carbon footprint. We remain committed to identifying and implementing new technologies and programs that further our environmental performance." 

The American Airlines 737-800, and a twin-aisle airplane that will be announced at a later date, are serving as the flight test component for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Continuous Lower Energy Emissions Noise (CLEEN) program ? along with other technologies developed by Boeing and other industry partners.  Together with the American Airlines engineering team, Boeing is finalizing plans for installing the initial technology applications aboard the first airplane. Specific technologies that will be flown in 2012 include: 

Adaptable trailing edge technology, a technology being developed under the FAA CLEEN Program, it reduces noise and emissions during all phases of flight including take-off, cruise and landing. Variable area fan nozzle reduces community noise and enables advanced engine efficiency technologies.

Flight trajectory optimization for in-flight planning enables airlines to determine and fly more fuel-efficient routes and provides flight crews the ability to reroute for weather and other constraints and Regenerative fuel cells for onboard power, efficiently stores and generates power, and adapts to aircraft electrical systems demand, potentially reducing weight, fuel burn and CO2 emissions. 

"Our ecoDemonstrator flight test program allows us to accelerate promising technologies and move them onto airplane models and into new aircraft design considerations across the industry," said Boeing ecoDemonstrator Program Manager David Akiyama. "It also allows us to verify airplane applicability and identify and eliminate potential integration challenges." 

American Airlines has a long-standing commitment to reducing its carbon footprint through the ongoing development and implementation of sustainable business practices. In 2010, American's environmental initiatives yielded the following results; Reduced greenhouse gas intensity ratio related to jet fuel by 5 percent from 2009 to 2010, Celebrated the 5th anniversary of Fuel Smart, American's fuel-conservation program; generating more than 500 million gallons in total fuel savings since the program began. Saved more than $12 million annually through energy-saving initiatives implemented by our Utilities Management Council and also received and deployed 45 new Boeing 737 aircraft in 2010 that are 35 percent more fuel-efficient on an available seat-mile basis than the MD-80 aircraft replaced.

Signed agreements in partnership with 15 other airlines to purchase future supplies of alternative fuels in 2009, and in 2010 attended several conferences related to the further development of alternative fuels. American ranked 111th in Newsweek magazine's 2010 Green Ranking, the best performance of any U.S. passenger airline and formed a multi-departmental group to focus on increasing recycling and reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill. 

Announced in 2010, the Boeing ecoDemonstrator Program helps reduce entry-to-market risk for new aviation technologies. The two ecoDemonstrators will build upon success of the 2005 Quiet Technology Demonstrator (QTD2) program that helped both the Boeing 747-8 and 787 Dreamliner exceed international standards for noise emissions.