American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia Open Premium Lounge at Miami International Airport

FORT WORTH, Texas, March 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- American Airlines (AA), British Airways (BA) and Iberia (IB) have proudly opened the doors of the airlines' first joint Premium lounge. Located in Concourse E just beyond the security checkpoint on the fifth floor, the Premium lounge will provide additional seamless service as part of the joint business agreement among AA, BA and IB to share revenue, coordinate networks and schedules and co-operate commercially on routes between North America and Europe.

"With American and American Eagle operating from six gates in Terminal E and our joint business partners also operating from Terminal E, the Premium lounge offers customers traveling through Miami a convenient place to relax before, between and after flights," said Peter Dolara, American's Senior Vice President – Mexico, Caribbean and Latin America. "This lounge provides another customer touchpoint where our representatives can offer seamless, premium service and enhance the travel experience as part of the joint business."

The newly opened AA, BA, IB Premium lounge spans 6,000 square feet and offers seating for 120 guests. The multi-functional Business Center has work stations, some with HP Compaq dc7900 PCs with complimentary high-speed Internet access, that enable guests to stay connected while traveling. Other amenities include two TV lounges with flat-panel TVs, a children's room with HP PCs outfitted with age-appropriate programming, and spa-like showers.

Travelers visiting the Premium lounge can also take advantage of complimentary food and beverages. Customers can order premium liquors, wines and beer, as well as coffee, tea, sodas and water. For those looking for a bite to eat, the lounge offers a complimentary lunch, afternoon tea or light supper menu. Menus may include freshly-prepared soup du jour and an assortment of mini sandwiches.

"The opening of this new lounge enables us to offer our customers the best service at a time when our presence in Miami is growing significantly – apart from our daily flight between Miami and Madrid we will begin operating three non-stop weekly flights from Miami to Barcelona on March 29," said Jose Maria Alvarado, Iberia's Country Manager in the U.S. "This new Premium lounge is part of a 150 million-euro customer care program that Iberia launched in 2009 to among other things, renovate all of our VIP lounges and upgrade our Business Plus."

The AA, BA, IB Premium lounge is open daily from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. and welcomes oneworld eligible International First Class, Business Class and Emerald and Sapphire customers. Customers traveling on an AA-operated transcontinental full fare First Class (F and Z inventory) or full fare Business Class (J and U inventory) ticket, as well as Admirals Club members departing from Concourse E, may also access the lounge

About American Airlines

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 website, 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 approximately 750 destinations in nearly 150 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 trademarks of American Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: AMR)

About British Airways

British Airways is the UK's largest international airline serving more than 150 destinations and carrying 33 million people a year on its global network.

About Iberia

Today, Iberia is the leading airline in Spain, the routes that connect Spain and Europe, and also market leader on flights between Europe and Latin America. Together with its franchise partner Iberia Regional, both airlines operate more than 1,000 flights every day to about 100 destinations. Iberia is a member of the oneworld®, an alliance offering 9,000 daily flights to 800 destinations in 150 countries. For further information about the Iberia Group: http://grupo.iberia.com/portal/site/grupoiberia/.

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SOURCE American Airlines