American To Enable Domestic Inflight Internet Use

Business Travel News, 3/31/2009

American Airlines today said it is rolling out inflight wireless Internet access to 300 domestic aircraft during the next two years, expanding on a 15-plane rollout that began last summer.

The carrier in August 2008 became the first domestic airline to launch full wireless inflight Internet access, rolling out the service across its Boeing 767-200 fleet, which serves mostly transcontinental routes. American said it would install the system in conjunction with inflight connectivity provider Aircell on 150 MD-80 aircraft this year, and add it to its Boeing 737 fleet next year.

Other airlines, including Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Virgin America, also have advanced inflight Internet offerings with Aircell. Delta continues its domestic fleetwide rollout, which eventually will include recently acquired Northwest aircraft. Last week, the carrier said it had rolled out the service to 77 planes, representing about 25 percent of its domestic fleet, the carrier said.

United in January also announced plans to outfit 13 transcontinental Boeing 757 aircraft with inflight wireless Internet capabilities in the second half of this year. Air Canada also is rolling out the service, though that effort is limited to transborder flights, since Aircell's air-to-ground network extends only to U.S. airspace.

Aircell charges between $7.95 and $12.95 per leg to use the service, depending on the length of haul. Aircell this month added a pricing option for passengers using Wi-Fi-enabled handheld devices at $7.95, regardless of length of haul.

Southwest Airlines last month also launched a limited three-airplane pilot of inflight Internet service with Aircell competitor Row 44, while Alaska Airlines also has announced plans to roll out Row 44's satellite-based Internet offering.

 

American Airlines Offering Up to 50,000 AAdvantage Bonus Miles for Trips to the United Kingdom

aa.com, 4/1/2009 (excerpted)

American Airlines customers traveling to the United Kingdom now have an exciting opportunity to earn tens of thousands of AAdvantage® bonus miles when they travel this spring or early summer. Between now and June 30, AAdvantage members who complete round-trip travel between the United States and the UK on an eligible First Class or Business Class ticket will earn 50,000 bonus miles. Members traveling on select Economy Class fares will earn 25,000 bonus miles.

To take advantage of this offer and start earning bonus miles, customers simply need to:

-- Book a qualifying ticket between March 19 and June 30, 2009 (booking classes F, J, A, D, I, R, Y, B or H)
-- Register prior to travel at www.aa.com/offers using promotion code UK50K
-- Complete travel by June 30, 2009

AAdvantage member and/or passenger is responsible for all taxes and fees associated with award travel. Standard AAdvantage award terms and conditions apply. For complete details, visit www.aa.com/aadvantage .

Terms and Conditions

AAdvantage bonus mile offer is valid on American Airlines marketed and operated nonstop flights for round-trip travel between the U.S. and London Heathrow (LHR) or Manchester (MAN), March 19, 2009, through June 30, 2009. Offer applies only to AAdvantage members who reside in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, or Bermuda who purchase and fly on a published fare ticket booked in F, J, A, D, I, R, Y, B or H. To qualify, reservation must be booked between March 19, 2009, and June 30, 2009. Flights operated by our codeshare partners are not eligible for this promotion. A round trip is defined as travel in the same purchased booking class for both the departure and the return transatlantic flight segments. Bonus miles will be awarded based on the class of service purchased and do not count toward elite status qualification. Registration prior to travel is required.

 

American Airlines to Fly 20 Tons of Cargo to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Children

Travel Mole, 4/8/2009 (excerpted)

 Children in Iraq will soon receive more than 20 tons of basic school supplies, new Crocs™ shoes and other items thanks to American Airlines and Operation Iraqi Children (OIC), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Defense.

Volunteers from American Airlines and OIC - founded in 2004 to support U.S. soldiers' efforts to assist Iraqi children, many of whom attend severely neglected schools - will begin loading donated school supplies onto an American Airlines Boeing 767. This is the largest one-time shipment of supplies in OIC's history, with 10,000 school kits to be delivered. Adding to the cause, Crocs' SolesUnitedsm program - a humanitarian shoe donation effort - has teamed up to provide more than 6,000 pairs of Crocs shoes for these children.

"American Airlines is honored to be the first U.S. passenger airline to transport this humanitarian cargo for distribution in Iraq," said Roger Frizzell, Vice President - Corporate Communications at American Airlines. "We are proud to support this extraordinary effort to help our soldiers assist Iraqi children in desperate need of shoes and basic school supplies. Most importantly, we appreciate our soldiers taking steps to build bridges with families and children in Iraq."

Founded by actor Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, CSI: NY) and author Laura Hillenbrand (Seabiscuit: An American Legend), OIC enables Americans to send school supply kits and other necessities to Iraq, which are distributed by U.S. soldiers directly to Iraqi children. OIC had its genesis during Operation Iraqi Freedom, as U.S. soldiers learned that children in Iraqi villages lacked the most basic school supplies such as pencils and writing paper. To date, the program has delivered more than 250,000 school supply kits, which typically include pencils, paper, scissors, glue and crayons. The SolesUnited donation of Crocs footwear will fulfill another basic need.

"From the time I first visited schools in Iraq back in 2003 to the founding with Laura Hillenbrand of Operation Iraqi Children in 2004, I never would have imagined that five years later the success of the program would lead to American Airlines airlifting over 20 tons of OIC supplies to help us continue our mission of helping soldiers to help children," said Sinise.

With support from the U.S. Department of Defense, American is flying approximately 75 volunteers and entertainers, including singer Tony Orlando, universally known for his anthem of hope and reunion, “Tie A Yellow Ribbon 'Round The Ole Oak Tree.” Entertainers joining Orlando are Vandel-Snook, the Country Tonite singers and dancers, actor Stephen Baldwin, and model/TV host Leeann Tweeden, all of whom will help distribute supplies in Iraq and entertain U.S. troops.

The journey, which begins at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), will load additional cargo in Kansas City, Mo., and then stop at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York to board additional entertainers and volunteers before continuing on to Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany. From there, the aircraft will head to Kuwait, from where the cargo, volunteers and entertainers will be airlifted to Iraq.

To learn more about OIC, visit www.operationiraqichildren.org.