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SAWYER -- Each day, 240,000 people board an American Airlines plane.

Since the AMR corporation applied for bankruptcy Tuesday morning, those 240,000 travelers may be wondering if they can still rely on the airline for flights.

The American Airline parent company filed for voluntary petitions to reorganize and said it's in the best interest of the company.

Tom Gordon partially credits the economy for the Chapter 11 decision.

"We are also dealing with a very uncertain global economic climate and high, nonvolatile oil prices, so there were a lot of forces buffeting the company. In fact, this year we are going to pay almost two billion dollars more for fuel than last year," said Gordon.

Gordon also added that the American Airlines customers are at the top of his priorities.  Changes will not affect holiday travel, however, flight schedule changes and airline job cuts may be in the works in the future.

But what exactly does this mean to the people here at Sawyer International Airport who fly American Airlines each day? Supposedly it shouldn't mean much.

A Marquette travel agent explains why she thinks the Chapter 11 bankruptcy should not affect travelers.

"I don't think it's a big concern. American Airlines is saying they are going to continue operations as normal. Frequent Flyers programs won't be affected. Unfortunately, it's kind of a common thing these days for airlines to file for bankruptcy. Then they kind of reorganize and are fine," said Laura Nelson.

Nelson also recommends those who plan to fly with the airline to pay with a credit card so they can be refunded if something were to happen.

American Airlines was the only big-name airline to not file for bankruptcy after 9-11.

Other major airlines have experienced Chapter 11 before, including Delta and US Airways.