American Airlines and British Airways Help 'Cure the Wanderlust'

FORT WORTH, Texas, April 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of their enhanced relationship, oneworld® Alliance members American Airlines and British Airways are launching their first major joint promotion in the U.S. for frequent flyer members of both airlines. It demonstrates their commitment to offer customers more opportunities to enjoy rewards across carriers. The Miles Millionaire Contest will help "Cure the Wanderlust" by offering four winners – two American Airlines AAdvantage® Program members and two British Airways Executive Club members – 1 million frequent flyer miles each, which is enough to cure anyone's overwhelming urge to travel.

To qualify, American Airlines AAdvantage members or British Airways Executive Club members must register prior to travel and book a qualifying round-trip trans-Atlantic flight originating in the U.S. on any purchased, published fare on American Airlines, British Airways or Iberia on or before June 17, 2011. Travel must be completed on or before June 30, 2011.  

Once travel is completed, customers will receive a contest entry email where they will have the opportunity to submit an essay answering the question "If you were cured of the Wanderlust with 1 Million Miles, where would you go and what would you do there?"  Entrants can then encourage friends and family to vote for their essay online. A judging panel will determine the four "millionaires" from the 60 entries with the most votes.  

In addition, members of both programs will earn 20,000 bonus miles for booking and traveling on a qualifying full fare roundtrip Economy Class ticket or higher on American Airlines, British Airways or Iberia during the promotional period.

American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia launched their trans-Atlantic joint business in October 2010 giving customers access to a global network of more than 400 destinations, more convenient connections and better scheduled travel times.

"This promotion has been 14 years in the making and what an incredible opportunity it is! For the four lucky winners it could mean vacations for a lifetime or a few trips around the world," said Simon Talling-Smith, British Airways Executive Vice President, Americas and chairman of the management committee for the joint business between American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia. "We are so pleased to be able to partner with American Airlines and offer our customers something close to their heart – enough miles to make them a millionaire."

"This is going to be a really fun promotion," said Maya Leibman, President – AAdvantage Loyalty Program. "Members of these programs are crazy for miles and we're eager to hear what they would do if they had a million of them. This promotion also highlights the benefits of our trans-Atlantic joint business – the opportunity to earn and redeem miles regardless of which carrier the member chooses."

Customers with the wanderlust and those seeking 1 million miles simply need to enter at www.aa.com/wanderlust or www.ba.com/wanderlust. Participants must be a member of either the American Airlines AAdvantage Program or the British Airways Executive Club Program to participate. Customers may enroll at www.aa.com/aadvantage or www.ba.com/executiveclub. Members only need to register once to be eligible for both The Miles Millionaire Contest and the bonus mile offer.

The Miles Millionaire Contest begins April 6, 2011. The essay submission period ends July 15, 2011. Other restrictions apply.

About American Airlines

American Airlines, American Eagle and AmericanConnection® serve 250 cities in 50 countries with, on average, more than 3,600 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 900 destinations with more than 9,000 daily flights to 145 countries and territories. American Airlines, Inc. and American Eagle Airlines, Inc. are subsidiaries of AMR Corporation. AmericanAirlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection, AA.com, and AAdvantage are trademarks of American Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: AMR).

About British Airways

British Airways is the UK's largest international scheduled airline. It flies its customers at convenient times to the best located airports across the world. It is one of the world's leading global premium airlines and its principal place of business is London with significant presence at Heathrow, Gatwick and London City. British Airways also operates a worldwide air cargo business, largely in conjunction with its scheduled passenger services. The airline operates one of the most extensive international scheduled airline route networks and, together with its codeshare and franchise partners, flies to more than 300 destinations worldwide. In 2009/10, it carried nearly 32 million passengers. British Airways is also a founding member of oneworld, the alliance of airlines around the globe, which together serves some 700 destinations, and offers the best connections. Whether customers are in the air or on the ground, British Airways takes pride in providing a full service experience. More information is available at www.ba.com.

Current AMR Corp. releases can be accessed on the Internet.

The address is http://www.aa.com

SOURCE American Airlines