Jan. 14, 2014 Aaron Karp

American Eagle renamed as part of new American’s regional rebranding

Courtesy Embraer

American Airlines Group said its wholly owned regional subsidiary carrier American Eagle will be renamed “Envoy” in the spring.

American explained the move was made as part of its merger integration with US Airways, which will include a regional rebranding. All 10 regional carriers currently providing regional service for legacy American and US Airways “will all eventually fly under the American Eagle brand,” American said in a statement. By renaming American Eagle to Envoy, American hopes to eliminate any confusion over the branding.

American Eagle employs about 14,000 of the new American Airlines Group’s 100,000 global workers. “Our people and our company, which is one the largest regional carriers in the world with some of the best people in our business, deserve a name that is all our own,” American Eagle president Pedro Fabregas said in a statement. “By taking on the Envoy name, we can better differentiate ourselves from the competition and better market ourselves.”

Before and during American’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring, which ended last month as American merged with US Airways, there was considerable talk—including from American executives—that Eagle would be divested following emergence from Chapter 11. That talk has been muted in recent months, though Envoy could still be a possible spin-off candidate in the future