American Airlines Plans Multi-City 'Pink-out' to Fight Breast Cancer

FORT WORTH, Texas, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- American Airlines and American Eagle, in partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, are staging a "Rolling Pink-out" at airports across the country Oct. 1-15 to observe National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and raise funds to find the cures for the disease. Airports in cities from Albuquerque to Atlanta, Boston to Little Rock and Los Angeles to Nashville will "go pink" as part of the airlines' second annual Passionately Pink for the Cure® fundraising campaign.

The two-week "Pink-out" will take place in 18 cities, where American and American Eagle employees will don pink attire, including special pink-ribbon scarves and ties for many uniformed employees; decorate ticket counters, jetways, baggage claims and aircraft in pink; and invite customers to support the cause by wearing pink while traveling that day. Additionally, employees will offer pink treats and raise funds through friendly competitions to support a goal to raise $1 million for breast cancer research this year.

The festivities will culminate in a global, system-wide "Pink-out" on Oct. 15, when all American Airlines and American Eagle employees in the U.S. and internationally, including London, Paris and Tokyo, will wear pink and raise funds to support the cause.

"The 'Rolling Pink-out' is a fun, highly visible way for American, American Eagle, employees and customers to support Komen for the Cure during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month," said Roger Frizzell, American's Vice President – Corporate Communications. "This is a great way to unite people and communities in the fight to end breast cancer forever."

In addition to going Passionately Pink for the Cure, American is supporting Komen in a number of other ways, including special pink-themed menus at selected Admirals Club lounges across the country, where 10 percent of the proceeds on sales of pink items will go towards the $1 million fundraising goal. American is also sponsoring breast cancer awareness events in partnership with professional baseball, football and hockey teams, including the St. Louis Cardinals (Oct. 2), the Dallas Cowboys (Oct. 10), the New England Patriots (Oct. 17) and the Dallas Stars (Oct. 23).

Heading into the holidays, American has renewed its successful Miles for the Cure® fundraising campaign, which will reward donors through the end of this year with double AAdvantage® miles – 10 miles instead of five – for every dollar they contribute to Komen, with a minimum $25 donation. Additionally, customers can give the gift of travel and support Komen at the same time: American will donate $5 to Komen for every $50 of travel purchased via the American Airlines gift card. Simply enter "Komen" in the tracking code box when making a purchase, applicable to online purchases only. To make a donation or buy a gift card, please visit AA.com/JoinUs.

"We are so grateful to American, its employees and customers who have contributed for so many years to our joint mission of finding the cures for breast cancer," said Katrina McGhee – Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Susan G. Komen for the Cure. "We are especially excited about this second annual system-wide Passionately Pink for the Cure initiative. As we recognize the 30th anniversary of the promise that became the genesis of our organization, we are honored to be part of this innovative 'Rolling Pink-out,' and we look forward to seeing cities across the nation turn pink during the month of October."

American and American Eagle will also fly their eight pink-ribbon planes to selected Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure® events as a reminder of the sobering statistic that one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. American, which has supported Komen for 26 years as a national sponsor, unveiled the aircraft in 2008 to announce an expanded relationship, becoming Komen's official airline and first-ever Lifetime Promise Partner. The company has pledged to raise $1 million annually for eight years to fund the American Airlines Susan G. Komen for the Cure Promise Grant, a study of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. Additional information is available at AA.com/JoinUs.

Participating "Pink-out" cities include:

• Friday, Oct. 1 – Atlanta; Lubbock, Texas
• Monday, Oct. 4 – Washington, D.C., airports (Reagan National, Dulles, Baltimore)
• Tuesday, Oct. 5 – Albuquerque, N.M.
• Wednesday, Oct. 6 – Los Angeles
• Thursday, Oct. 7 – San Diego
• Friday, Oct. 8 – Boston; Louisville, Ky.
• Monday, Oct. 11 – New York area airports (La Guardia, Newark, JFK)
• Tuesday, Oct. 12 – Birmingham, Ala.; Abilene, Texas
• Wednesday, Oct. 13 – Chicago (O'Hare)
• Thursday, Oct. 14 – Nashville, Tenn.; San Francisco
• Friday, Oct. 15 – Dallas/Fort Worth; Little Rock, Ark.; Miami

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. For information about the community initiatives AMR and its employees support, please visit AA.com/JoinUs. Programs include Miles For Kids In Need, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the USO, and disaster relief. 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 trademarks of American Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: AMR)

About Susan G. Komen for the Cure®

Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever. In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure and launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the Cure is the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people, ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the cures. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure®, we have invested more than $1.5 billion to fulfill our promise, becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the fight against breast cancer in the world. For more information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breast cancer, visit komen.org or call 1-877 GO KOMEN.

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SOURCE American Airlines