taxi operation (i.e., using just one aircraft engine to taxi to the gate after landing), which reduces the carbon emissions produced by taxiing by 20%–40%. In addition, we have implemented new procedures for staggering flight departures and arrivals, which results in less time for aircraft on the ramp and, therefore, less fuel use. • Reducing excess weight. The weight on an aircraft is a critical driver of how much fuel it uses, and even small reductions in weight can add up to significant fuel and GHG emissions savings when multiplied across our whole fleet and the many flights each aircraft makes. We have taken a number of steps to reduce weight on our aircraft, including installing lighter seats, removing seat-back entertainment systems, discontinuing American Way magazine, and stocking our galleys with only as much ice as we expect passengers will use on each flight. Even using lighter paint makes a difference: On our A321 fleet alone, this saves about 1 million gallons of fuel per year. Collectively, our weight-reduction efforts save 12.4 million gallons of fuel annually, which equals 117,800 million metric tons of CO 2 emissions avoided each year. • Optimizing flight plans and procedures. We focus on flying as efficiently as possible, which includes consid - ering everything from the speed and paths our aircraft take on departure and descent to how flight crews adjust en route to account for changing weather conditions. Since we began deploying specialized software in 2020 that uses real-time weather conditions to provide our flight crews with better data about optimal flight altitudes and speeds, we have saved more than 8.4 million gallons of fuel. That translates to just over 80,000 metric tons of CO 2 emissions avoided. This and other flight planning improvements also help us optimize the amount of arrival fuel on the aircraft — that is, the extra fuel carried on the aircraft — which makes a big difference in reducing weight and, therefore, improving fuel efficiency. Increasing Efficiency by Modernizing Our Air Traffic Control System Improving the country’s network of aviation infrastructure, technology and services will increase operational efficiency and reduce jet fuel use. In turn, that will avoid millions of metric tons of CO 2 emissions annually and help reduce aviation’s carbon footprint. Improvements in our Air Traffic Control (ATC) system will produce enormous environmental and economic benefits, and American supports efforts to modernize our ATC system. We encourage policymakers to advance policies that achieve that objective, and we are committed to working with the FAA and other policymakers to make it a reality. In 2021, the FAA implemented more efficient descent procedures that will make a meaningful impact in reducing fuel use and associated CO 2 emissions. American supported designing the new procedures by providing technical data and expertise on aircraft behavior and systems, energy management considerations and application. The new Optimized Profile Descents allow planes to glide down safely from cruising altitudes into airspace around some of the nation’s largest airports, instead of the traditional stair-step procedure that consumes more fuel. For each group of descents used at an airport, the FAA estimates that an average of 2 million gallons of fuel is saved, and 18,000 metric tons of CO 2 emissions are reduced annually. * American has also partnered with the FAA and NASA on a trial program in Charlotte, North Carolina, to test and validate the benefits of Terminal Flight Data Manager infrastructure. During testing at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, the program reduced taxi times, helping to save more than 275,000 gallons of fuel annually. The program also avoided almost eight tons of CO 2 emissions daily and cut delays by 916 hours over four years, equivalent to an average of 15 minutes of wait time on a taxiway for more than 3,600 departing flights. ** In 2021, NASA transferred findings from the trial program to the FAA for nationwide implementation. * https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-implements-more-efficient-descent-procedures-reduce-fuel-burn-emissions . ** https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-transfers-air-traffic-management-tool-updates-to-faa. AMERICAN AIRLINES ESG REPORT 2021 16 \\ Indexes & Data \\ Customers \\ Team Members \\ Safety \\ ESG Strategy CEO Message ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE \\ Climate Change