Partners With Susan G. Komen Foundation

With all the negative (and, arguably, well-deserved) headlines concerning US airline practices... it's nice to see an example of an airline doing something worthwhile. American Airlines joined with the Susan G. Komen Foundation this week in announcing an expanded partnership with the unveiling of two specially co-branded aircraft, an mainline 757 and an American Eagle Embraer 145, each incorporating the vivid pink-ribbon motif symbolizing the fight against breast cancer.

Both parties say the distinctive pink streamers, which extend the length of the fuselage of the two aircraft, signal a new level of mutual commitment, as American Airlines becomes Komen for the Cure's official airline and first-ever Lifetime Promise Partner. The partnership represents a newly created funding category for Komen -- called Promise Grants -- which are collaborative, inter-disciplinary research projects with the strong potential to discover and deliver the cures for breast cancer more quickly.

"This is a great day for American Airlines, American Eagle and Susan G. Komen for the Cure," said Dan Garton, American's Executive Vice President-Marketing. "But most of all, it's a great day for all of us who are deeply determined to end breast cancer forever. We sincerely thank the American Airlines employees at our Tulsa and Abilene maintenance bases who donated their time to carefully wrap these aircraft in the ribbons. Seeing these special aircraft take flight today is an inspiration to us all."

Building on its 20-year history of supporting Komen nationally, American Airlines has pledged to raise a minimum of $1 million annually for eight years, to fund Susan G. Komen for the Cure's first Promise Grant -- a $7.5 million, five-year study of inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The remainder will be used to fund health and community programs. The net proceeds from the annual American Airlines Celebrity Golf and Tennis Weekend are the primary source of funding.

Additional contributions will be raised via American's Miles for the Cure program, in which AAdvantage members earn five miles for each dollar contributed to Komen with a $25 minimum donation. Since mid-April, more than 6,500 AAdvantage members have contributed over $600,000 to the campaign.

American and American Eagle plan to add similar ribbons to an additional six aircraft in the coming months. The pink-ribbon planes made their inaugural flights to DFW Monday morning from Tulsa International Airport (TUL) and Abilene Regional Airport (ABI), where crowds of employees, volunteers, breast cancer survivors and local officials turned out at dawn for sendoff festivities.

The flight attendants on both inaugural flights are breast cancer survivors, as well.

"This partnership speaks volumes about the quality and longevity of American's commitment to Komen, and the way the company and its employees share our sense of urgency in discovering and delivering the cures, and finding ways to prevent breast cancer," said Hala Moddelmog, President and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. "We are also thrilled that American Airlines will be the first corporation to have a direct hand in writing a significant chapter in breast cancer research history with its Promise Grant."

FMI: www.aa.com/komen, www.komen.org