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."
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