Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • December 2005 (Revised May 2009)
  • Case
  • HBS Case Collection

C.R. Smith and the Birth of American Airlines

By: Anthony Mayo and Laura Gaie Singleton
  • Format:Print
  • | Pages:28
ShareBar

Abstract

Presents an overview of the path that C.R. Smith pursued to build American Airlines into one of the largest airlines in the world in the 20th century. Over the course of his 30-year tenure as president of American Airlines, Smith deployed a three-pronged strategy--technology standardization, safety, and customer service--to build his business. Covers the first 50 years of American Airlines' history, beginning with its role as an industry consolidator in the late 1920s. Smith's strategic and operational choices in building American Airlines played a significant role in the overall growth of the airline industry in the United States. Explores the interaction between the growth of a company and an overall industry.

Keywords

Leadership Style; Growth and Development Strategy; Industry Growth; Operations; Air Transportation Industry; United States

Citation

Mayo, Anthony, and Laura Gaie Singleton. "C.R. Smith and the Birth of American Airlines." Harvard Business School Case 406-082, December 2005. (Revised May 2009.)
  • Find it at Harvard

About The Author

Anthony Mayo

Organizational Behavior
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • February 2025
    • Faculty Research

    Jackie Hu: Launching into Leadership

    By: Ting Zhang and Anthony Mayo
    • August 2024
    • Faculty Research

    Growing Pains at Coohom (A)

    By: Letian Zhang and Anthony Mayo
    • July 2023 (Revised April 2024)
    • Faculty Research

    Raymond Jefferson: Trial by Fire

    By: Anthony Mayo and Carin-Isabel Knoop
More from the Authors
  • Jackie Hu: Launching into Leadership By: Ting Zhang and Anthony Mayo
  • Growing Pains at Coohom (A) By: Letian Zhang and Anthony Mayo
  • Raymond Jefferson: Trial by Fire By: Anthony Mayo and Carin-Isabel Knoop
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College.