If you are going to start flying American anytime soon, I really recommend getting one of their Citi cards with the "Group 1" boarding benefit.
I haven't flown American in years and had no status. They way that they board can really eff your chances of avoiding getting your carry-on checked, and as a result, it's a gang bang mad house when they call "group 2" for boarding. Group 2 is chaos. It's repulsive.
If you get the card, you get Group 1, which guarantees your carry on does NOT get checked....even on the piece of crap 2x2 Eagle jets. There are always just a handful of Group 1, after the status group loads.
I applied for the card as soon as I stared flying American. It took a few weeks for Group 1 to show up on my boarding passes, but works like a charm now.