At the Deutsche Bank Aviation and Transportation Conference held recently, American Airlines denied seeking bankruptcy liquidation (Chapter 7) but did not rule out the possibility of seeking bankruptcy protection (Chapter 11) to reorganize its labor agreements that put it at a marked disadvantage to airline industry peers such as Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, US Airways and United Continental.

FORBES: AMR Could Play Bankruptcy Card To Break Labor Logjam

Many airlines routinely hedge themselves to a degree against rising fuel costs: Southwest Airlines, Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines are all reported to have reasonable protection from rising prices, at least for now.

ECONOMIST: America's airlines and the war

When completed, the merger will put the vast majority of air travel in the United States under the control of just four companies: American, Delta Air Lines, United Continental and Southwest Airlines.

FORBES: American Airlines And US Airways Finally Do It

If completed, the merger would put the vast majority of air travel in the United States under the control of just four companies: American, Delta Air Lines, United Continental and Southwest Airlines.

FORBES: American Airlines And US Airways Near Merger Deal

In alphabetical order, the winners are: Air France-KLM, AMR Corporation (American Airlines, American Eagles), British Airways, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Japan Airlines, Lufthansa, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and US Airways.

BBC: A record year in airline safety

That group comprises more than 1, 000 aircraft across Air Canada, AirTran Airways (which recently merged with Southwest Airlines), Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways and Virgin America.

FORBES: The Next Step For In-Flight Wi-Fi: In-Air Entertainment