Recently in American Category

American Airlines today announced an enhancement to its online flight check-in process that provides online check-in capability for passengers traveling internationally.

Through online flight check-in at AA.com, customers traveling both domestically, and now internationally, can check in for their flight and subsequently print or e-mail their boarding pass, from anywhere in the world.

"Online check-in enables customers to avoid an extra stop and head straight to the gate, saving valuable time when traveling," said Derek DeCross, American Airlines Managing Director - Interactive Marketing.  "This new enhancement to AA.com is another step in our efforts to help simplify the entire travel experience for our customers, whether they're looking for flight deals, car rentals, hotel stays, or even cruises and activities.  Over the next few months, we will make further enhancements."

Customers can access flight check-in via the AA.com homepage or by visiting www.aa.com/findreservation and can check in two to 24 hours before international flights and one to 24 hours before domestic flights.  Customers can then locate their flight reservation using either their AAdvantage® login or their full name as it appears in travel documents, along with their six digit flight record locator.

Passengers traveling to International destinations will also need their passport information and will only be able to check in for flights to destinations where they have met international travel requirements.  After customers locate their itinerary, the AA.com flight check-in process provides easy-to-use prompts for guidance through the appropriate steps.

Once the check-in process is complete, passengers will have the option to print their boarding pass immediately from the confirmation page, e-mail their boarding pass to print later, or receive their boarding passes electronically on their mobile phones or PDAs (available in select cities only).  For more details regarding online flight check-in at AA.com, customers can visit www.aa.com/checkin.

The new AA.com enhancements go hand-in-hand with American's strategy to strengthen its global network through its oneworld® Alliance partnerships to enhance competition and customer benefits in the trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific markets, including:  

• Japan Airlines continued and expanding relationship with the oneworld Alliance, including its filing for a joint business agreement with American for trans-Pacific flights.
• Tentative approval by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for antitrust immunity for American and British Airways, Iberia, Royal Jordanian and Finnair, as well as Americans plans to operate a joint business between North America and Europe with British Airways and Iberia.
• American's DOT application to operate year-round scheduled service to Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) starting Oct. 1, 2010.  

Additionally, American recently announced plans to expand its international presence out of New York, adding three new routes between John F. Kennedy International Airport and San Jose, Costa Rica; Madrid, Spain; and Manchester, England.

American is a founding member of the oneworld Alliance, which serves 800 airports in nearly 150 countries, with some 9,000 daily departures.

American Airlines AAdvantage® members can earn up to 50,000 bonus miles on select fares when flying nonstop transcontinental routes between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) or San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

AAdvantage members flying on select First and Business Class fares between these destinations will earn 50,000 bonus miles for roundtrip travel, or 25,000 bonus miles for each one-way segment. The offer also awards passengers traveling on Economy Class on Instant Upgrade fares booked in Y, D or I inventory to earn 25,000 bonus miles for roundtrip travel, or 12,500 bonus miles for a one-way segment. To participate in this offer, customers simply register prior to travel at www.aa.com/offers using promotion code TRNSN and fly between April 6 and June 30, 2010.

"We are offering this promotion to let our AAdvantage customers on both coasts know how much we value their loyalty," said Rob Friedman, President - AAdvantage Marketing Programs for American Airlines.

Customers traveling these transcontinental routes in First Class on American's 767-200 aircraft can relax in comfortable, fully-adjustable seats.  In addition, premium customers in First and Business class enjoy premium class amenity kits with Burt's Bees® products, a duvet comforter and oversized plush pillow, as well as inflight entertainment options with the new Bose® QuietComfort® 15 Noise Cancelling® headsets.

Enrolling in the AAdvantage program is free and simple. Just visit www.aa.com/enroll.

AAdvantage bonus mile offer is valid for round-trip travel on American Airlines nonstop marketed and operated flights between New York (JFK) and Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO) from April 6, 2010, through June 30, 2010. Offer applies only to AAdvantage members who purchase and fly on published fare tickets booked in F, J, Y, D or I. Bonus miles will be awarded based on the booking class purchased. Flights operated by our codeshare partners are not eligible for this promotion. Bonus miles do not count toward elite status qualification. Registration prior to travel is required.

The AAdvantage program was the first frequent flyer program. Established in 1981, the program now has more than 62 million members. Members can earn miles at more than 1,000 participating companies, which include more than 30 hotel chains representing more than 60 brands, more than 20 airlines, eight car-rental companies, 10 financial companies, and over 350 brand name retailers. In addition, members can earn miles when making purchases with one of more than 100 affinity card products in over 40 countries. In 2009, AAdvantage members redeemed more than 150 billion miles to claim more than 6.9 million awards for flights, upgrades and car rentals. For more information and a listing of AAdvantage program participating companies, visit www.aa.com/aadvantage.

American Airlines, American Eagle and AmericanConnection® serve 250 cities in 40 countries with, on average, more than 3,400 daily flights. The combined network fleet numbers more than 900 aircraft. American's award-winning Web site, AA.com®, provides users with easy access to check and book fares, plus personalized news, information and travel offers. American Airlines is a founding member of the oneworld® Alliance, which brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business, enabling them to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own. Together, its members serve nearly 700 destinations in more than 130 countries and territories. American Airlines, Inc. and American Eagle Airlines, Inc. are subsidiaries of AMR Corporation. AmericanAirlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection, AA.com, We know why you fly and AAdvantage are registered trademarks of American Airlines, Inc. ( AMR)

American Eagle Airlines, the regional affiliate of American Airlines, will soon begin First Class service on all of its CRJ-700 jets.  With the introduction of nine First Class seats, Eagle will offer customers a premium product with the same level of outstanding service customers experience on American Airlines, a founding member of the oneworld® Alliance. Customers may now purchase a First Class seat on any CRJ-700 flight for travel starting July 2.

American Eagle will offer a complimentary First Class dining service that includes a Continental breakfast with cereal or hot oatmeal and yogurt and a lunch or dinner that includes a fresh salad or a sandwich and dessert.  First Class customers receive warm, cleansing towels and mixed nuts prior to their meals, which are served on china. On flights of shorter duration, beverage service will be accompanied by a gourmet snack mix.

"We're pleased to introduce First Class service on our CRJ-700 aircraft," said Peter Bowler, President and CEO of American Eagle.  "By July we will have our fleet of 25 CRJs converted by American Eagle mechanics to the new First Class and main cabin design, and we will have taken delivery of the first two of our 22 new CRJs that will also feature First Class comfort and amenities."

American Eagle will offer First Class service from its Chicago and Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) hubs. From Chicago, customers will experience First Class service on flights to Atlanta, Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., Newark, N.J., George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Oklahoma City, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, San Antonio, and Salt Lake City.  From DFW, customers can fly First Class to Cleveland, Milwaukee, Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport in Bentonville/Springdale, Ark., and Little Rock, Ark.

American Eagle worked closely with the engineers at the plane's manufacturer, Bombardier, to design new custom leather seating for both the premium and main cabins.  With ergonomically-contoured back and seat cushions, seats throughout the aircraft will offer more comfort and luxury than ever before.  A unique articulated seat bottom will allow customers to recline with less impact on the legroom of passengers seated behind them.  In the main cabin, a new ultra-slim design ensures comfort and stability and, due to its enhanced back structure, also offers an additional inch of living space compared to the existing CRJ-700 seats.  Four-way adjustable headrests are featured on both the First Class and main cabin seating.  With the addition of the First Class seats, the CRJ-700 will have either 63 or 65 seats in the main cabin and nine seats in First Class.

Eagle also will offer Priority AAccess on all flights offering First Class service, allowing premium customers to board at their leisure. In addition, Eagle will offer Premium Baggage service to its First Class customers, ensuring their checked bags are expedited to the baggage claim area after landing.  Purchase your First Class experience on American Eagle at www.AA.com.

American Airlines is pleased to help customers "free their memory" with a promotion aimed at introducing travelers to the new AA.com Notification Center.

Running now through Jan. 5, 2010, the "Free Your Memory" sweepstakes offers a chance to win one of 60 BlackBerry® Curve(TM) 8900 smartphones, one of which comes with 300,000 AAdvantage® miles. Anyone can register to win by simply playing the interactive memory game at www.aa.com/promo.

The AA.com Notification Center, launched in 2009, is accessible from each customer's My Account section on AA.com, where customers can simplify their travel experience with American Airlines. The center enables customers to set their flight status notification preferences just one time and then automatically receive messages for all their future flights, as long as their AAdvantage number is included in their flight reservation. When setting up a profile, customers choose how they would like American to notify them - by phone, text message or e-mail. The AA.com Notification Center also makes sharing these updates easier by allowing AAdvantage members to save up to 10 contacts in their profile. American then will automatically provide the member, and the member's selected contacts, with desired flight information.

"We all have so much to do these days - so many places to be and things to remember. With the AA.com Notification Center, we're making travel a little easier for customers by giving them one less item to think about," said Derek DeCross, American's Managing Director - Interactive Marketing. "The 'Free Your Memory' sweepstakes is a great way to demonstrate how the AA.com Notification Center can make the travel experience more convenient, and we're excited to offer everyone a chance to win some fantastic prizes."

Customers can receive one sweepstakes entry by playing the interactive memory game and registering at www.aa.com/promo. Registrants may also earn additional entries by referring a friend to the sweepstakes and by updating or creating their profile on AA.com. The total number of sweepstakes entries allowed per person is three. No purchase is necessary to enter.

For further information and sweepstakes rules, visit www.aa.com/promo. For more details or to view a demo on the AA.com Notification Center, visit www.aa.com/connect. 

SOURCE American Airlines

American Airlines and Lexus are kicking off the season of giving early with a free Wi-Fi inflight promotion for customers traveling on American Airlines.

Beginning Nov. 1 and running through Nov. 7, American customers traveling on Wi-Fi equipped aircraft can enjoy free Wi-Fi service, compliments of Lexus allowing travelers to stay connected while thousands of feet in the sky. The Gogo Inflight Internet service lets customers connect to work or home by offering access to e-mail, social media sites, e-shopping or the latest news and sports headlines from their laptops, smartphones and handheld PDAs.

"American and Lexus want to give customers a little something special this fall by offering free Wi-Fi," said John Tiliacos, American's Managing Director - Onboard Products. "We continue to focus on improving the customer's experience and with this special offer, we hope our customers enjoy this opportunity to connect inflight for work or fun as the busy holiday season kicks into gear."

To coincide with the introduction of the new 2010 Lexus LS line, American Airlines passengers can take advantage of the free Wi-Fi promotion by entering the promotion code 2010LEXUSLS to connect to the service. More details about Wi-Fi on American are available at www.aa.com/wifi.

An innovator in airline travel, American was the first U.S. carrier to launch onboard broadband Wi-Fi in August 2008, and the service is currently available to thousands of customers traveling on American's Boeing 767-200 aircraft and select MD-80 aircraft.

Gogo, powered by Aircell, turns a commercial airplane into a Wi-Fi hotspot with true inflight Internet access. Passengers with Wi-Fi enabled devices, such as laptops, smartphones and PDAs, can surf the Web, check e-mail, instant message, access a corporate VPN and more. For more information about Gogo, please visit www.gogoinflight.com.

(C) 2009 Aircell LLC. Aircell and Gogo are trademarks of Aircell or its affiliates. All rights reserved

SOURCE American Airlines

American Airlines Admirals Club® lounges are thinking pink throughout October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, by hosting rosy celebrations at the 44 club locations worldwide with specialty menu items in support of breast cancer awareness.

In addition, as part of the airline's Passionately Pink for the Cure® Day on Friday, Oct. 16, all American Airlines employees are being encouraged to wear pink and donate $5 or more to Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, the world's leading breast cancer organization, to further the shared mission of ending breast cancer forever.

"We are tickled pink to be a part of the Passionately Pink for the Cure Day and raise funds for such a worthy cause," said Nancy Knipp, President - Admirals Club. "As we continue to celebrate the birthday of the Admirals Club, we believe it is important to give back to the communities we have been privileged to serve over the past 70 years."

When traveling on Oct. 16 - or any day in October, for that matter - Admirals Club visitors can indulge in a number of treats from Sodexo, the Admirals Club food and beverage provider. National Breast Cancer Awareness Month specialty items include a freshly baked pink cookie and a number of pink specialty beverages. For each featured item purchased from the pink-themed menu, 10 percent of sales will be donated to support breast cancer awareness.

The Admirals Club continues to celebrate its 70 years of service, which began in 1939 when American Airlines opened the airline industry's first VIP lounge at LaGuardia Airport in New York. As part of the celebration, through Oct. 19 customers can register to win one of seven prizes in the Admirals Club birthday sweepstakes. Prizes include a Lifetime Admirals Club Membership, a weeklong luxury vacation in Maui, one night at a Hollywood movie premiere, and more. Just for registering, customers will receive a $70 savings offer on an annual Admiral Club membership, whether it's new or a renewal. No purchase is necessary to enter the sweepstakes. Complete sweepstakes rules, Offer Terms and Conditions, and other details can be found at www.aa.com/AC70years.

Annual Admirals Club memberships for new members range from just $350 to $500. One-day passes are available for $50 and may be purchased online, at self-service check-in machines, or at any Admirals Club location.

Amenities vary by location and may include complimentary domestic Wi-Fi access, showers, personal computers with complimentary Internet access, children's areas with appropriate TV programming, music areas, and much more. For further details, visit American's Admirals Club Web site at www.aa.com/admiralsclub.

In addition to hosting Passionately Pink Day for the Cure, American supports Komen through its participation in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure® series; eight Komen-branded pink-ribbon planes flying the skies; an American Airlines Gift Card offer allowing customers to specify Komen as the beneficiary and resulting in a $5 donation for every $50 of travel purchased via the gift card; the Miles for the Cure(TM) fundraising campaign, which rewards donors with five AAdvantage® miles for every dollar they contribute to Susan G. Komen for the Cure® with a minimum $25 donation, and through the American Airlines Celebrity Golf Weekend. For more information, visit www.AA.com/komen.

SOURCE American Airlines

American Eagle Airlines, the regional affiliate of American Airlines, begins nonstop jet service with three daily flights between Sioux Falls Regional Airport (FSD) and Chicago O'Hare International Airport on April 6, 2010. American Eagle will operate the service with 50-seat Embraer ERJ-145 jets.

Seasonal jet service on American Eagle to Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP) from Chicago O'Hare begins June 10, 2010. American Eagle will operate the two daily flights using 44-seat Embraer ERJ-140 jets. Seasonal service will end Sept. 24, 2010.

"We're delighted to return to Sioux Falls and to also begin seasonal service from Rapid City," said Gary Foss, Vice President - Planning and Marketing, AA Regional Network. "With these new flights, customers will have convenient connections in Chicago to destinations throughout American's global network."

The schedule for the flights between Chicago and Sioux Falls (all times local) is:

    Sioux Falls to Chicago O'Hare (FSD-ORD)

         Flight             Departs              Arrives              Days
          3715*             7:00 a.m.            8:27 a.m.            Daily
          3717             11:20 a.m.           12:47 p.m.            Daily
          3719              6:25 p.m.            7:52 p.m.            Daily

    *Flight begins April 7, 2010

    Chicago O'Hare to Sioux Falls (ORD-FSD)

         Flight             Departs              Arrives              Days
          3718              9:05 a.m.           10:53 a.m.            Daily
          3720              4:15 p.m.            6:00 p.m.            Daily
          3722              8:35 p.m.           10:23 p.m.            Daily

The schedule for the flights between Rapid City and Chicago O'Hare (all times local) is:

    Rapid City to Chicago O'Hare (RAP-ORD)

         Flight             Departs              Arrives              Days
          4086             10:55 a.m.            1:56 p.m.            Daily
          4089              5:45 p.m.            8:46 p.m.            Daily

    Chicago O'Hare to Rapid City (ORD-RAP)

         Flight             Departs              Arrives              Days
          4046              8:45 a.m.           10:18 a.m.            Daily
          4056              3:45 p.m.            5:18 p.m.            Daily

SOURCE American Eagle Airlines

To soccer fans everywhere: American Airlines has launched an online soccer game, the Penalty Challenge, narrated by famed Spanish-language sportscaster Fernando Fiore.

The game features the character, "Earn Miles," a new soccer sensation, and players help him score the maximum number of points. After playing, fans can receive a discount on their next American Airlines flight.

The Penalty Challenge is part of American's continuing campaign to court soccer fans and encourage them to become members of the AAdvantage(R) program, American's travel awards program. The game can be played in English or Spanish at www.aa.com/soccer.

As the Official Airline of Major League Soccer - as well as individual clubs, including FC Dallas, New York Red Bulls, D.C. United, Chicago Fire, and the New England Revolution - American Airlines has teamed up with the AC&M Group to create the interactive game, which augments its Major League Soccer partnership, a successful affiliation that has yielded strong results in the United States Hispanic market, as well as the national soccer community.

"We are very impressed with American's commitment to serve soccer fans," said Jaime Cardenas, Chief Executive Officer of AC&M, American's partner in the game. "Over the last two years we have been working with American on its overall soccer initiative, and this game is a great example of how to engage soccer fans with the sport they love and at the same time offer them a great discount. American is one of the few companies that truly understands the importance of the U.S. soccer fan as a consumer. We know that the soccer fan base is very diverse, which is why the online game is available in both English and Spanish. We are proud to be part of this exciting project."

Soccer fans can sign on to www.aa.com/soccer, select their language and enter their email address to play. If they are not yet AAdvantage members, fans can register for the AAdvantage program and receive a bonus of 1,000 miles just for signing up. Once registered, they will receive a welcome e-mail with a password that they can use to redeem their discount.

Fiore, the famed Spanish-language sportscaster, does a play-by-play as the players try to score points - voicing the iconic "Goooooaaal!" when they score. After playing, users will have three options:

• Play again
• Redeem their prize
• Or tell a friend about the game.
  

The offer applies to new reservations for one-way or round-trip travel on American Airlines, American Eagle, or AmericanConnection(R), excluding other code share flights. Travel is valid from any American destination in the 48 contiguous United States to any American Airlines destination worldwide. Tickets must be purchased at AA.com or AA.com/espanol no later than 11:59 p.m. CT, Oct. 31, 2009. All travel must be completed by Nov. 27, 2009. Embargo dates are Nov. 20-25. For more information, or to play the game, go to www.aa.com/soccer.

SOURCE American Airlines

Here's a simple way to save money on a trip to your favorite sunny destinations this fall: grab a great low fare on American Airlines and make a dash for an exciting spot in the Caribbean, the Virgin Islands, Mexico, the Bahamas, or Bermuda. The choice is up to you and your imagination, because American is offering truly attractive fares throughout its extensive network of sun-drenched destinations.

American, a founding member of the global oneworld(R) Alliance, has low fares available for travel beginning Sept. 3 and completed by Nov. 19. (See dates below.) So, make plans now to take in the sights at some of the most beautiful places on earth.

Wherever you're headed, tickets must be purchased by Sept. 15, 2009, so contact American Airlines soon. Here are the highlights of American's special fares:

• Available from the U.S. to destinations throughout the Caribbean, the Virgin Islands, and Mexico
• Purchase tickets no later than Sept. 15, 2009
• No advance purchase requirement
• No embargo dates
• Travel dates:
  • Begin travel between Sept. 3 - Nov. 17, 2009
  • Complete travel by Nov. 19, 2009
• Minimum stay 2 days
• Maximum stay 30 days
• For rules and restrictions, see the terms and conditions below, or visit American's Web site, AA.com
  

Here are samples of American's great low fares. Fare amounts shown are each way based on off-peak, round-trip, Economy Class travel purchased on AA.com.

    Bermuda and Select Bahamas, Caribbean and Mexico Destinations

                                                   Fare Each Way Based on
             City Pair                              Round-Trip Purchase*

    Orlando - Kingston, Jamaica                              $70
    Los Angeles - Cabo San Lucas, Mexico                     $76
    Boston - Freeport, Bahamas                               $79
    Boston - Nassau, Bahamas                                 $89
    Miami - Grand Cayman, Cayman Is.                         $89
    Washington, D.C. - Kingston, Jamaica                     $95
    Chicago - Montego Bay, Jamaica                          $100
    New York - Bermuda                                      $107
    Baltimore - St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.                        $112
    New York - Aruba                                        $144
    Hartford - St. Croix, U.S.V.I.                          $171
    Dallas/Ft. Worth - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico              $172
    Denver - Cabo San Lucas, Mexico                         $184
    Las Vegas - St. Lucia                                   $198

    *Fares shown are each way based on off-peak, round-trip, Economy Class
    travel purchased on AA.com, and are in U.S. dollars. Fares are valid for
    travel beginning Sept. 3 - Nov. 17, 2009; complete travel by Nov. 19,
    2009. Fares do not include all government-imposed taxes and fees.

    Travel may be on American Airlines or American Eagle.

Travelers can check schedules and fares and book flights by visiting www.aa.com. On AA.com you'll find the absolute lowest fares available for American Airlines, American Eagle and AmericanConnection(R) flights - guaranteed. For full details on our Lowest Fare Guarantee, visit www.aa.com/benefits.

For an additional $20 per ticket, travel arrangements can also be made by calling American's reservations number at 1-800-433-7300 (en Espanol 1-800-633-3711) within the United States. Outside the United States, call the local reservations number. For an additional $30 per ticket, travel arrangements can be made at an American Airlines Travel Center or Airport Ticket Office. Tickets may also be purchased through a travel agent. Travel agents may impose a service charge for ticketing.

A "Fly Now, Pay Later" deferred payment option on American also allows holders of the American Airlines Credit Card(SM) account to enjoy six months of no payments and no interest for tickets purchased on AA.com. For terms and conditions and more details, visit www.aa.com/paylater.

Additionally, American Airlines Vacations(SM) has a number of exciting and affordable travel packages available to many popular destinations around the world. For more information, visit www.aavacations.com.

SOURCE American Airlines

American Airlines reached a major milestone this week with its Gogo Inflight Internet service. The Wi-Fi service is now available on 100 MD-80 aircraft, which is two-thirds of the 150 Gogo installations scheduled to be completed by the end of 2009.

One year ago today, American was the first U.S. airline to launch the Gogo service. Since then, thousands of customers traveling on American's 15 Boeing 767-200 aircraft and select MD-80 aircraft have enjoyed the onboard Wi-Fi service while flying across the United States.

"We are excited to reach this one-year milestone and to continue our expansion of the Gogo high-speed service to customers on our MD-80s," said Dan Garton, American's Executive Vice President - Marketing. "We continue to receive positive feedback from customers who use the service to stay connected while in the air. Our goal is to offer our customers the chance to continue their work or personal business while 35,000 feet above the ground."

Gogo turns an American Airlines flight into a Wi-Fi hotspot, enabling passengers to surf the Web, check e-mail, send instant messages, access a corporate VPN, and more. Once the aircraft has reached 10,000 feet, users can simply turn on their Wi-Fi enabled devices - such as laptops, smartphones and handheld PDAs - then open their browsers and be directed to the Gogo portal page where they sign up and begin surfing. Gogo is powered by the Aircell air-to-ground system, which uses three small antennas installed outside the aircraft and connects to Aircell's exclusive nationwide mobile broadband network.

Aircell's prices for the Gogo service range from $5.95 to $12.95 based on length of flight and whether the device is a handheld PDA or a laptop computer. Aircell's pricing plans are:

• Mobile Flight Pass: $7.95 - mobile device pricing for customers using a handheld device only
• Short-Haul Flight Pass: $5.95 - for flights lasting approximately 1.5 hours or less
• Mid-Range Flight Pass: $9.95 - for flights generally under 3 hours
• Long-Range Flight Pass: $12.95 - for flights generally over 3 hours
  

Each paid Gogo session includes full Internet, e-mail and VPN access. Cell phone and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service use are not available. American is a founding member of the oneworld(R) Alliance.

SOURCE American Airlines