American Airlines and SCORE Team Up to Provide Small and Medium Businesses a Chance to Earn 50 Round-Trip Award Tickets and Other Rewards to Boost SMB Success

FORT WORTH, Texas, June 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- American Airlines, in cooperation with SCORE, an organization dedicated to helping small businesses succeed through mentoring and training, today announced the launch of its small business contest – Flights.Camera.Action. – to support the growth of small and medium businesses (SMBs).

The contest comes on the heels of a recent American Airlines survey of small and medium business employees, indicating an anticipated increase in corporate business travel in the next 12 to 18 months and that face-to-face meetings requiring airline travel are crucial to the success of their business.

"American recognizes and embraces its role in connecting people and serving as an engine of commerce around the world. We will continue to do our part to support the growth and long-term success of the SMB community – the backbone of the U.S. economy," said Karen Buls, American's Director – Small and Medium Enterprise Products, Marketing and Sales Strategy. "We're excited to partner with SCORE to provide entrepreneurs this unique opportunity to grow their businesses through face-to-face relationship building and gain significant exposure for their companies, both of which can be key ingredients to their long-term success."

The Contest:

To enter, SMBs are encouraged to submit interactive videos on the contest website, www.aa.com/flightscameraaction, between June 8 and July 15, 2011, explaining how free travel and extensive media exposure would impact the future of their business. Public voting will run between Aug. 1 and Aug. 26, 2011. Most prizes will be delivered via the Business ExtrAA® program, American's business-to-business loyalty program, in which companies can enroll at no cost. Participants will have multiple opportunities to be rewarded during each stage of this campaign:

• The first 200 businesses to the website and in compliance with the Official Rules will receive three hundred Business ExtrAA bonus points, equivalent to an Admirals Club® One Day Pass.
• The top 50 videos selected will earn for their business up to five domestic round-trip Plan AAhead® Award coach tickets via 10,000 Business ExtrAA points and the Entrant will receive two tickets to attend the SCORE Awards Gala in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 15, 2011.
• The top 5 finalists, voted on by the public Aug. 1 through Aug. 26, 2011, will receive an additional 10,000 Business ExtrAA points for a total of 20,000 Business ExtrAA points, which may be used to attend the SCORE Awards Gala, recognition at the event, and exposure to American Airlines customers on AA.com/business.
• The Company Grand Prize Winner will receive an additional 80,000 Business ExtrAA points (for a total of 100,000 points) which equals to up to 50 domestic round-trip Plan AAhead coach tickets, which may be used to attend the SCORE Awards Gala, recognition at the event, and the ultimate exposure package to American Airlines customers, including a full-page ad in one issue of American Way or American Airlines Nexos magazine, banners on AA.com, an inflight TV testimonial, and more.

"For many small businesses, air travel is a critical component in their growth and success, and managing that component efficiently and effectively is important," said Ken Yancey, CEO of SCORE. "We are pleased to partner in this contest that allows entrepreneurs to share their business travel tips as well as the overall value of air travel for their business. We are especially pleased to be teaming up with such a noted brand and supporter of small business, American Airlines."

The SMB Market and travel trends:

The expanding small and medium business market continues to play an important role in the U.S. economic recovery. According to the U.S. Small Business Association, there were 27.5 million small businesses in the U.S. in 2009, representing 99.7 percent of all employer firms. A recent American Airlines online survey of more than 2,600 employees of SMBs underscored the expected growth in SMB travel 2011 finding:

• Approximately 72 percent of SMB customers nationwide anticipate their company's economic outlook will improve in the next 12 to 18 months.
• About 4 out of 10 anticipate that their corporate business travel will increase during that time.
• Roughly 64 percent of SMB employees believe that face-to-face meetings requiring airline travel are crucial to the success of their business.
• Nearly all SMB companies are actively controlling airline costs and say that business-to business loyalty programs are one of the top three methods to maximize the value of their travel.

American's SMB Support and Products:

American Airlines has a long history of supporting small and medium businesses, including sponsorship of organizations like Business Matchmaking, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and SCORE. American offers travel programs specifically designed to benefit small and mid-sized companies that depend upon face-to-face contact across the nation, or the globe, to succeed. In addition to Business ExtrAA, the American Airlines Business Suite™ includes the AAirpass® program, which offers discounted fares on last-minute travel with immediate VIP benefits. Other programs include a cash-rebate credit card and discounts for group travel, and there is no cost to join.

Business ExtrAA is a complimentary program that rewards companies for doing business with American Airlines. With Business ExtrAA, companies accrue points when their employees travel for business on American Airlines, American Eagle or the American Connection® carrier operated flights and include the company's Business ExtrAA account number in their reservations. Employees also earn miles on their personal American Airlines AAdvantage® frequent flyer accounts when traveling using their company's Business ExtrAA account number, so both the company and the individual traveler benefit.

Business ExtrAA points can be redeemed for more than 50 travel awards, including flights, upgrades, AAdvantage Gold® status, and Admirals Club one-day passes, conference rooms, and memberships. Companies can choose how points are redeemed. Business ExtrAA points can be used to control business travel costs, donated as part of employee incentive programs or used to thank valued customers for their loyalty. The Business ExtrAA program keeps track of all ticket purchases and sends a monthly email to companies to advise when the account has been updated. Companies can also review their activity online 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and by contacting their dedicated customer service desk.

For more information about the American Airlines suite of business products, such as the AAirpass program, a cash-rebate credit card and discounts for group travel, please visit www.aa.com/business. For more information on the Flights.Camera.Action. contest, visit www.aa.com/flightscameraaction.

Terms and Conditions

No purchase necessary to enter or win. Contest is open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia who are at least 18 years of age. Contest commences at 11:59 a.m. CT on June 8, 2011, and submissions must be received by 11:59 p.m. CT on July 15, 2011. Contest is subject to Official Rules at www.aa.com/flightscameraaction. Contest sponsored by American Airlines, Inc., 4333 Amon Carter Blvd, Fort Worth, TX 76155 and The SCORE Association, 1175 Herndon Pkwy, Ste. 900, Herndon, VA 20170. Void outside of the 50 U.S. states and District of Columbia where prohibited by law.

About Business ExtrAA

Business ExtrAA is a program that rewards companies when their employees fly on American Airlines with points that can be redeemed for flights, upgrades, Admirals Club memberships and conference rooms, and more. There is no cost to join and while the company earns points, employees still earn their AAdvantage miles. For details to enroll, visit www.aa.com/business.

About SCORE

Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 9 million aspiring entrepreneurs. Each year, SCORE provides small business mentoring and workshops to more than 375,000 new and growing small businesses. More than 13,000 business experts volunteer as mentors in 354 chapters serving local communities with entrepreneur education to help grow 1 million small businesses.

For more information about starting or operating a small business, call 1-800-634-0245 for the SCORE chapter nearest you. Visit SCORE at www.score.org and www.score.org/topics/women. Connect with SCORE at www.facebook.com/SCOREFans, www.twitter.com/SCOREMentors and www.scorecommunity.org.

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, Admirals Club, Business ExtrAA, Plan AAhead and AAdvantage are trademarks of American Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: AMR).

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

SOURCE American Airlines