Aug 6, 2018, 9:03 am
Last edit by: JDiver
American Airlines Club History and Background
Background
The Admirals Club was the first of the airline VIP clubs. In 1936, the commercial aviation industry had few strong supporters and American Airlines Chairman C.R. Smith (1934-1968) wanted to recognize them (and recruit them as advocates of air transport). He began naming honored passengers and friends of the airline by coining the term "Admirals" in keeping with the designation of the airline's planes as the "Flagship Fleet."
"Admirals of the Flagship Fleet" were presented with nicely printed certificates attesting to their status (in keeping with the "Kentucky Colonels" who never were) framed and ready to be proudly displayed on one's office or Board Room wall.
(The AA fleet was named "the Flagship Fleet" early on, in a nautical theme that carried over to the uniforms pilots now wore and their rank - Captain and First Officer, aided in those days by an Engineer, Radio Man, Navigator as necessary. When the low wing twin engine all metal monocoque DC-3 came online, it was named the "Flagship" aircraft (Flagship Detroit at the C. R. Smith Museum is an example), and on the ground each Flagship flew a four star "Admirals' Pennant" from the starboard cockpit window.)
New York - La Guardia Field opened in the 1930s and AA was a prominent early tenant, relocating its hangars and offices from Chicago. (Pan American became the tenant at the Marine Air Terminal, and TWA was also a main tenant.)
Original American Airlines Admirals Club History, removed from the AA pages since the US Airways reverse takeover:
"In 1939, American decided Admirals deserved a special place to relax before or after a flight. The original Admirals Club shared a space in the just-opened New York LaGuardia Airport with Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. Press criticism of the mayor's large, well-equipped offices had prompted him to offer to rent out the space. American Airlines representative Red Mosier immediately accepted the offer and the private airport club was born. Ironically, when the papers were drawn up for the club's liquor license, a judge refused to grant the name "Admirals Club" on the grounds the public might think it was a facility for Navy admirals only. So the club was initially called the "Flagship Club" until the legal hurdles were overcome.
In the early years, membership in the club was solely at the discretion of the airline's sales people. Memberships were given to frequent fliers or VIPs. In keeping with the nautical theme, the club's receptionists were called "skippers" and bartenders were called "stewards."
The airline's second club was at Washington's National Airport and opened with the airport in 1939. Located in a "dry" area, the club was prohibited from selling alcoholic beverages. For a nominal fee, however, the club stored bottles for its members. When the Virginia liquor law changed in 1970, so did this club policy. At one point, the club had more than 9,000 bottles stored. Many bore the names of powerful U.S. politicians.
A change in Admirals Club membership eligibility was made in 1967 when American established an open policy of accepting dues-paying members – a policy that remains in effect today. Paid airline lounge Club membership came about after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was enacted. Admirals Club was somewhat like CK in that membership was granted by sales personnel to AA to VIPs who were generally influencers of air travel (legislators, corporate heavyweights, etc.) and sparse of people of color, etc. US airlines established a paid membership system any member of the public was able to purchase, choosing not to change to a scheme more commonly used abroad wherein class of service is an admission criterion regardless of domestic or international routing.
The dues in 1967 were $25 per year, or $250 for a lifetime membership. Almost all Admirals at the time decided to pay the fees and retain their memberships.
Today, all persons 18 and over can purchase an Admirals Club membership. Pricing for Admirals Club memberships is based on the customer's tier level in the American AAdvantage membership program. Pricing ranges from $450 or 60,000 AAdvantage miles annually for a new Executive Platinum membership, to $550 or 85,000 miles annually for a regular membership. Membership is also provided to holders of the Citi/AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard ($450 annual fee). One-day passes are available for $59 each.
The clubs were designed to simply provide a quiet haven away from the clamor of the airport terminal. Today they also offer flight information for American and American Eagle as well as a host of amenities that significantly differentiate the travel experience. There are now over 40 Admirals Clubs at 36 airports in the American Airlines system. These include(d) Atlanta; Austin; Bogotá; Boston; Buenos Aires; Caracas; Chicago O'Hare; Dallas/Fort Worth; Denver; Honolulu; Kansas City; London-Heathrow; Los Angeles International; Mexico City; Miami; Nashville; New York-Kennedy; New York-LaGuardia; Newark; Orange County (Calif.);
Link to archive
Unfortunately, the new American has deleted its online Official Admirals Club history page at: https://www.aa.com/i18n/amrcorp/corp...alshistory.jsp
Link (now not working) to Point Me to the Plane brief article and AA photos at early LGA
Link to PDF history of New York - LaGuardia International Airport (NYC Aviation)
The 01 Aug 2009 American Way in flight magazine had an article by then-CEO Gerard Arpey on Admirals Club history in the Vantage Point column. You can read an online version of the August 1, 2009 American Way magazine article here (not working) or see post #3.
Admirals Club History, Logo, Name
May 1, 2014, 1:29 am
#76
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Naval traditions were valued (the US Army Air Corps was a bit late, and it only spun off to become the US Air Force after WWII). Naval aviators were also considered the best and had skills needed in the early days of aviation - navigation and the use of servants, for instance. (Ask a naval aviator today - they'll insist that hasn't changed 
.)
By necessity and tradition, airlines salted their terminology and sales talk with naval talk. Early long haul aircraft were usually "Flying Boat" seaplane. Aft, forward, port and starboard, bulkhead; the Captain, the Purser, Steward, Stewardess; Pan Am particularly, but for a time, Delta preferred Navy trained aviators (with old PA at least it's understandable given P.A. long haul aircraft were all seaplane), as well as preferentially hiring married men. (They even asked questions about wine matching on some personnel tests, patently ridiculous, but this was before the day of "BFOQs" - Bona Fide Occupational Qualifications - became the order of the day.
Neither AA nor TW were going to dare to be different.
(I've visit the old PA base at Midway Island, where passengers overnights in lodging brought piecemeal from the mainland, assembled on site and provided with solar heated hot water, etc. while the Clippers were serviced. Very impressive, for the day.)
.)By necessity and tradition, airlines salted their terminology and sales talk with naval talk. Early long haul aircraft were usually "Flying Boat" seaplane. Aft, forward, port and starboard, bulkhead; the Captain, the Purser, Steward, Stewardess; Pan Am particularly, but for a time, Delta preferred Navy trained aviators (with old PA at least it's understandable given P.A. long haul aircraft were all seaplane), as well as preferentially hiring married men. (They even asked questions about wine matching on some personnel tests, patently ridiculous, but this was before the day of "BFOQs" - Bona Fide Occupational Qualifications - became the order of the day.
Neither AA nor TW were going to dare to be different.
(I've visit the old PA base at Midway Island, where passengers overnights in lodging brought piecemeal from the mainland, assembled on site and provided with solar heated hot water, etc. while the Clippers were serviced. Very impressive, for the day.)
After all, they can do anything a USAF pilot can do, plus take off and land from a ship pitching and rolling in the middle of the ocean
May 1, 2014, 1:41 am
#77
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The Navy had some use for USAAC - USAF; they used the constant prevailing winds at what is now Travis AFB for initial CARQUALS practice, iirc.
AA's initial transoceanic service may have been AOA Boeing Stratocruisers, so in a way, their naval traditions were all faux. During WW II C. R. Smith served in the USAAC.
Last edited by JDiver; Aug 6, 2018 at 12:07 pm
May 1, 2014, 1:48 am
#78
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Companies that discard good branding do themselves a disservice.
you think you should change the taste
Times have changed; there is less glamour in aviation and things nautical now than in the 1920s and 1930s. Is the name "Admirals Club" really the greatest branding possible? I don't know.
Last edited by relangford; May 1, 2014 at 1:55 am
May 1, 2014, 2:25 am
#79
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Is the name "Admirals Club" good branding? Would the name "Envoy Club" be good branding? Would the name "AAdventure Club" be good branding? Not trying to cause trouble, I just don't know if a new name for the new AA Club would be good or bad.
Won't be "changing" the taste, it would be changing the name.
Times have changed; there is less glamour in aviation and things nautical now than in the 1920s and 1930s. Is the name "Admirals Club" really the greatest branding possible? I don't know.
Won't be "changing" the taste, it would be changing the name.
Times have changed; there is less glamour in aviation and things nautical now than in the 1920s and 1930s. Is the name "Admirals Club" really the greatest branding possible? I don't know.
For appropriateness and context, IMO Admirals, Ambassadors and Envoy really do it. AA folks who come up with lawn chair tails and linoleum cutter eagles are not likely to run focus groups and could well shoot themselves in the foot in an attempt at something new and trendlier. And cost a helluva lot more money doing so.
May 1, 2014, 8:59 am
#80
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I agree with Jdiver, why waste money on something that has a certian panache and works well. Also, why waste the thread I started about something others have expressed interest in knowing about with talk about redoing the marketing aspect - start another thead about that.
I want to know more about the initial Flagship Lounges. I have fond memories of the one in Boston and ORD, the offerings were substantially better in my memory than what is offered today, everything from shower products to the food. Be nice to hear recollections from others or more information.
I want to know more about the initial Flagship Lounges. I have fond memories of the one in Boston and ORD, the offerings were substantially better in my memory than what is offered today, everything from shower products to the food. Be nice to hear recollections from others or more information.
May 1, 2014, 10:11 am
#81
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I remember my first foray into an Admiral's Club, IAD in the early 1970s, just after I joined. I was in college and joined because I thought that it would be cool, not because I flew a lot. At that time there was a dress code for men (jacket required). If you did not have one, each club had a supply of blue blazers in various sizes with the Admiral's Club logo in nice, heavy embroidering on the outside breast pocket, blue, red and silver braid, possibly some gold braid in there as well, IIRC. One of the staff provided you with a blazer when you entered, and you wore it while you were in the club.
May 1, 2014, 5:25 pm
#82
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why waste the thread I started about something others have expressed interest in knowing about with talk about redoing the marketing aspect - start another thead about that.
I have been chastized, but I felt the club name related to the history of the clubs.
May 1, 2014, 9:07 pm
#83
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Why would it be time for a change? Because you don't think maritime words should be used for aviation? Should they also stop using knots to refer to the speed of an aircraft, or port and starboard for left and right?
There is a pretty significant historical link between maritime and aviation.
May 2, 2014, 6:53 pm
#84
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I remember my first foray into an Admiral's Club, IAD in the early 1970s, just after I joined. I was in college and joined because I thought that it would be cool, not because I flew a lot. At that time there was a dress code for men (jacket required). If you did not have one, each club had a supply of blue blazers in various sizes with the Admiral's Club logo in nice, heavy embroidering on the outside breast pocket, blue, red and silver braid, possibly some gold braid in there as well, IIRC. One of the staff provided you with a blazer when you entered, and you wore it while you were in the club.
May 5, 2014, 9:10 pm
#85
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I went to a lot of Admirals Clubs in the 1990s (JFK, LGA, LAX, ORD, ORY, LHR, MCI) and frankly, they weren't very good. The food options were about the same as now, the NY clubs had bagels in the morning and cheese cubes and crackers in the evening and you even had to pay for sodas (they were 75 cents I believe). I would imagine the heyday was actually the 80's or even earlier.
May 5, 2014, 9:16 pm
#86
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I went to a lot of Admirals Clubs in the 1990s (JFK, LGA, LAX, ORD, ORY, LHR, MCI) and frankly, they weren't very good. The food options were about the same as now, the NY clubs had bagels in the morning and cheese cubes and crackers in the evening and you even had to pay for sodas (they were 75 cents I believe). I would imagine the heyday was actually the 80's or even earlier.
May 6, 2014, 9:34 pm
#87
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I went to a lot of Admirals Clubs in the 1990s (JFK, LGA, LAX, ORD, ORY, LHR, MCI) and frankly, they weren't very good. The food options were about the same as now, the NY clubs had bagels in the morning and cheese cubes and crackers in the evening and you even had to pay for sodas (they were 75 cents I believe). I would imagine the heyday was actually the 80's or even earlier.
May 6, 2014, 9:40 pm
#88
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Apr 7, 2015, 6:52 pm
#89
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1977 Admiral's Club Cert: Framed and Matted?!
Jumping into a very old thread here, but I just found this in a box of my late fathers stuff and thought it might be bit of interesting nostalgia to add. My dad didn't seem like the type to go have such a thing framed and matted, is that how AA sent them out back then?
Apr 7, 2015, 7:44 pm
#90
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Of course, part of why it came into commercial air travel is also because the early long-haul flights were in seaplanes - hence the Pan Am Clipper fleet.
In fact, until the jet age and the founding of the USAF, any US bomber carrying multiple crew in a single hull was known as a, "Ship," most notably the B-17 in Europe.
It's fun to read about the whole history.