American Airlines Group's third quarter 2015 net profit, excluding net special charges, was a record $1.9 billion, or $2.77 per diluted share versus a third quarter 2014 net profit excluding net special charges of $1.2 billion, or $1.66 per diluted share. This is the highest quarterly profit in the Company's history. The Company's third quarter 2015 pretax margin excluding net special charges was a record 17.7 percent, up 6.7 percentage points from the same period last year.
On a GAAP basis, American reported a net profit of $1.7 billion, or $2.49 per diluted share. This compares to a GAAP net profit of $942 million in the third quarter 2014, or $1.28 per diluted share.
Total revenue in the third quarter was $10.7 billion, a decrease of 3.9 percent versus the third quarter 2014 on a 2.9 percent increase in total available seat miles (ASMs). Consolidated passenger revenue per ASM (PRASM) was 13.16 cents, down 6.8 percent versus the third quarter 2014. Consolidated passenger yield was 15.37 cents, down 9.2 percent year-over-year.
Total operating expenses in the third quarter were $8.7 billion, a decrease of 11.9 percent compared to the third quarter 2014, due primarily to a 43.5 percent decrease in consolidated fuel expense. Third quarter mainline cost per available seat mile (CASM) was 11.33 cents, down 14.7 percent on a 2.6 percent increase in mainline ASMs versus the third quarter 2014. Excluding net special charges and fuel, mainline CASM was 8.56 cents, up 2.6 percent compared to the third quarter 2014. Regional CASM excluding special charges and fuel was 15.78 cents, up 1.7 percent on a 5.0 percent increase in regional ASMs versus the third quarter 2014.
"We are extremely pleased to report another quarter of record profits thanks to the outstanding work of the American Airlines (AAL) team," said Chairman and CEO Doug Parker. "We are particularly proud of the remarkable job our team did this week to move American onto a single reservations system without any operational disruption. Because of their great work, our customers now have seamless access to the full network of the new American Airlines the best and largest airline network in the world.