American Airlines is the Official Airline of the 2013 South by Southwest Music, Film and Interactive Festival

FORT WORTH, Texas, March 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- American Airlines is proud to announce its status as a "Super Sponsor" and the official airline of the 2013 South by Southwest (SXSW) Music, Film and Interactive Festival, which begins today in Austin, Texas. American's sponsorship of the festival highlights its commitment to small business and technology innovation as well as the arts and entertainment.

SXSW Film and Interactive Events
American Airlines will host various events during the Film and Interactive portions of SXSW and offer festival-goers opportunities to relax and experience the new American firsthand.

From March 8-16, the #newAmerican Lounge will be set up in the Austin Convention Center and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The lounge offers a space where attendees can take a break from the action at SXSW, enjoy a massage, charge their mobile devices and explore some of the new products onboard American's aircraft. In support of the growth and development of startups, American is hosting 'Office Hours' at the Startup America Lounge on the fourth floor of the Austin Hilton March 8-11 from noon to 6 p.m. The office hours give startups and entrepreneurs an opportunity to meet with company leaders and learn how American is enabling the success of emerging businesses.   American is also teaming up with AT&T to host the inaugural Travel Hack, a "hackathon" running March 9-10. During the event, the AT&T Location Information Services Hybrid beta API and the American Airlines Travel API will be open to developers for the first time as they compete to create the best mobile app for American Airlines and AT&T customers. Travel Hack winners will be announced on March 10 and receive the following prizes: First Place – $10,000 split among team members and 25,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® miles per team member (maximum of five team members) Second Place – $3,000 split among team members and 25,000 AAdvantage miles per team member (maximum of five team members) Third Place – $1,000 split among team members

SXSW Music Events
During SXSW Music, March 13-16, the #newAmerican Oasis will be open on Sixth Street in downtown Austin from noon to 5 p.m. The Oasis offers visitors a refreshing respite from the commotion and allows them to charge their mobile devices while enjoying complimentary Wi-Fi, massages and fresh juice drinks.  

"Partnering with South by Southwest as a Super Sponsor and the official airline of the festival provides a unique opportunity for American to support emerging businesses and the startup community while fostering creativity and innovation in the technology space," said Rob Friedman, American's Vice President – Marketing. "This sponsorship and the activities we're hosting are proof points of American's evolution into a more modern airline and our focus on making customers more comfortable and connected throughout their travels."

American Airlines Giveaways

From March 8-12, American is giving away a daily grand prize of two passes to the music portion of SXSW and one second place prize of a single pass to the film portion of SXSW. Attendees can enter to win the passes when they follow @AmericanAir on Twitter and tweet using #newAmerican. Every day from March 8-17, American will invite its Twitter followers to retweet select posts to enter for a chance to win 25,000 AAdvantage miles. From March 8-16, SXSW attendees who check in at American's locations on Foursquare and show their check-in to an airline representative can receive one of American's premium amenity kits or another travel-inspired prize.

In addition to American's activities at SXSW, the airline is reminding customers on all inbound flights to Austin to visit its locations in the Austin Convention Center and on Sixth Street. American's Twitter followers can also track their experiences at SXSW using the hashtag #newAmerican. For more information on American's sponsorship and participation in SXSW, visit www.aa.com/SXSW.