American Airlines, American Eagle and Employees Salute Veterans and Military Personnel

-- Veteran/Military Employee Resource Group (VMERG): American's VMERG, the first of its type in the U.S. airline industry, is a group of employees whose purpose is to promote the roles and contributions of veterans and active-duty military employees, and to serve as a liaison between American Airlines, American Eagle, and the veteran and military communities. In a little more than a year, the VMERG has grown from three to six chapters, located in Chicago O'Hare International Airport; Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport; Tulsa International Airport; Fort Worth's Alliance Airport Maintenance Base; American's corporate headquarters in Fort Worth; and American's Southeastern Reservations Office (SERO) in Cary, N.C.

In recent months, the VMERG has participated in the Washington, D.C., Memorial Day Parade; Chicago's Marine Week; and the Rockford, Ill., Air Fest. In August, the SERO chapter partnered with the North Carolina Heroes' Fund to host the inaugural North Carolina Heroes Gala to help provide support for deployed guardsmen, reservists and their families. The VMERG has also hosted bingo events for veterans, movie night for National Guard families, and welcome-home and send-off receptions for military members. Earlier this year, VMERG chapters collected cell phones and calling cards to send to deployed troops - more than 757 cell phones and nearly $3,800 in calling cards have been sent to date. The VMERG is currently partnering with American's Christian Employee Resource Group to collect items and donations to send to combat-support hospitals in Iraq.

"I feel very fortunate to work for a company that fosters employee resource groups as completely as American does," said Susan Seelbach, VMERG's National President. "I am not only proud of all we do for our military men and women, but of all the community service and support our company and its employees offer to so many nonprofit groups."

American Airlines recently earned the distinction of being on G.I. Jobs' seventh annual list recognizing the nation's Top 100 Military Friendly Employers. More than 60 percent of American's pilots and approximately 10 percent of all American Airlines employees are active military service members or veterans. The G.I. Jobs Military Friendly Employers list serves as the primary benchmark of corporate recruiting programs aimed at veterans. The annual survey is one of the key tools used to determine the nation's most Military Friendly Employers. Criteria for the rankings included assets dedicated to military hiring, Reserve/Guard policies, percentage of new hires who are veterans, veteran training programs, and previous three years' rankings.

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 Web site, 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 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 registered trademarks of American Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: AMR)

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SOURCE American Airlines