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FORT WORTH, Texas, July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — American Eagle, the regional affiliate of American Airlines, has launched two daily round-trip flights between Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Wilmington International Airport in North Carolina, operating the new service with 44-seat Embraer jets.

“We’re delighted to serve the Wilmington area from our cornerstone hub in Chicago,” said Gary Foss, Vice President – Planning and Marketing for American’s regional network. “Now, it will be easier and more convenient for visitors from around the world to enjoy Wilmington’s many historic sites – as well as the white sand beaches of the Cape Fear Coast. It will also offer Wilmington customers convenient connections through one of American’s largest hubs to destinations worldwide, throughout the oneworld® global network.”

“We North Carolinians know what a great destination Wilmington is,” said Gov. Bev Perdue. “These nonstop flights from Chicago to Wilmington on American Eagle will make it easier for visitors to get here. Just as importantly, direct access to the American Airlines international network opens the door for economic development of all kinds.”

“We are very proud to have American Airlines as our new air carrier partner,” said Paul G. Burton, Chairman of the New Hanover County Airport Authority. “This will be a very successful business and leisure destination for our customers and conversely for the business and leisure travelers visiting our beautiful community.”

Here is the schedule (all times local):

AAdvantage® Double Mile Offer

Customers can earn double miles for travel between Wilmington and Chicago for travel between July 2 and Sept. 30, 2011. To participate in this promotion, customers need to register prior to travel using promotion code ILM2X. Customers can register and obtain complete offer terms and conditions at www.aa.com/offers. If you are not yet an AAdvantage member, it’s easy and free to enroll – just visit www.aa.com/enroll.

About American Eagle

American Eagle – named Best Regional Airline in North America by the 2011 World Airline Awards – operates more than 1,500 daily flights to over 170 cities throughout the United States, Canada, the Bahamas, Mexico and the Caribbean on behalf of American Airlines. American, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection® airlines 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 fares are also available through Kayak.com and Priceline.com, as well as thousands of travel agencies worldwide. 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. American Airlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection, AA.com and AAdvantage are registered trademarks of American Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: AMR).

SOURCE American Eagle Airlines

SEATTLE, May 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Boeing (NYSE: BA) delivered to American Airlines today its first Next-Generation 737-800 featuring the all-new Boeing Sky Interior (BSI). The new aircraft marks a major milestone in American’s commitment to improving and modernizing the customer experience through the execution of its fleet renewal plan.

The Boeing Sky Interior is designed to increase customer comfort onboard and is an important part of American’s ongoing initiative to modernize the look and feel of its 737 fleet interiors. The 737-800 BSI aircraft are a strategic part of American’s commitment to invest in products and services that make the travel experience more contemporary and innovative for customers.

From 2007 through 2011, American Airlines expects to invest more than $5.5 billion in new aircraft and onboard and facility enhancement projects to improve the customer experience.

“American Airlines has made a significant investment to enrich the flying experience for our customers through the purchase of new aircraft and the refurbishment of our existing fleet,” said Virasb Vahidi, American’s Chief Commercial Officer. “At American, we are focused on providing a differentiated customer experience, with a distinct focus on best delivering what premium customers value most – world-class products and services. The delivery of the first 737-800 with the new Boeing Sky Interior is our most recent step to deliver on this commitment.”

The new 737-800 BSI interior offers several unique features, including larger overhead bins – modeled after the 787 Dreamliner’s pivoting bins – that pivot down and out. The innovative design allows the bins to hold 48 more bags than standard overhead bins and four more than current non-BSI aircraft with larger bins. Sculpted sidewalls provide customers with a contemporary feeling of spaciousness and updated window reveals make the windows appear larger. Brighter and longer-lasting LED lighting can be programmed to create different effects during the flight such as a soft blue sky overhead. Intuitive placement of switches and call buttons and improved sound quality are innovative features that will enhance the customer experience. Additionally, the new 737s offer 16 First Class seats and 144 in Economy Class for a total of 160 seats on each aircraft.

“This new airplane will be a great addition to American’s existing 737 fleet,” said Marlin Dailey, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “American Airlines is leveraging all the performance benefits of the Next-Generation 737 to enhance its competitive position, while providing a new, more comfortable and inviting interior.”

As part of its fleet renewal plan, American began taking delivery of new Boeing 737-800s without BSI in April 2009. The airline received 31 737-800s in 2009, 45 in 2010 and plans to receive 15 in 2011, 28 in 2012 and 11 beginning in 2013.

To provide consistency within the travel experience and further elevate customer comfort onboard, American is updating its initial fleet of Boeing 737s, the last of which was delivered in 2001, to match the new 737 deliveries without the BSI feature. The interior renovations include the installation of new customized First and Economy Class seats, new cabin interiors, updated inflight entertainment systems and bigger overhead bins to provide more storage throughout the aircraft.  American is also updating the interior of its 757 fleet, which will include a new look-and-feel throughout the cabin. Both projects are being handled in-house by American employees at the airline’s Maintenance and Engineering base located in Tulsa, Okla.

In addition to the enhancements to its 737 planes, American has several fleet renewal efforts already under way. These initiatives highlight the multiple steps American Airlines has taken the past several years to continue investing in its future while it sharpens its focus on modernizing and improving the customer experience through various efforts – including, notably, the execution of its fleet renewal plan. They include:

• MD-80 Retirement: The 737 deliveries are designed to replace the MD-80 fleet with more passenger-friendly, fuel-efficient aircraft – lessening the impact on the environment. American intends to retire at least 25 MD-80s in 2011, as part of the company’s plan to continue renewing its fleet, while addressing the current fuel environment. In fact, a 737-800 burns 35 percent less fuel than an MD-80 on a seat-mile basis.
• 757 Domestic Retrofit: In August 2010, American began enhancing its domestic fleet of 106 Boeing 757-200s with the installation of customized First and Economy Class seats, bigger overhead storage bins and updated inflight entertainment throughout the aircraft. Two additional First Class seats are being added to each 757 aircraft, for a total of 24 seats in the First Class cabin.
• 787-9 Dreamliner: Entering into a purchase agreement with Boeing to acquire an initial 42 of the 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, with the right to purchase up to 58 additional 787s.
• 777-300ERs: American has five 777-300ERs that are scheduled for delivery in 2012 and 2013, including two additional aircraft for which options were recently exercised. These 777-300ERs will complement American’s fleet, offering additional network flexibility in the future, and providing increased efficiency due to better seat mile economics and performance ch

Associated Press 4/5/11
FORT WORTH, Texas — American Airlines is adding more flights in existing markets and rolling out new international and domestic service to give customers more scheduling options.

The airline said Tuesday that it will now have daily nonstop service between Los Angeles and Shanghai. It will have another daily nonstop route between New York and Budapest, Hungary. Flights between Chicago and Helsinki, Finland will start on May 1.

American affiliate American Eagle will provide new nonstop service to Albuquerque, N.M.; Boise, Idaho; El Paso, Texas; Houston Bush Intercontinental; Oklahoma City; Phoenix; Salt Lake City; Sacramento, Calif. and Tucson, Ariz. All of the flights will depart from Los Angeles.

American will increase its daily service from Miami to Madrid from one flight it two flights. It will also raise the number of flights between New York JFK and Barcelona to 11 weekly flights from seven.

In addition, American will restart daily seasonal service between Boston and Paris; Chicago and Dublin, Ireland and New York and Manchester, England.

American Airlines Fares and Schedules to Return to Expedia and Hotwire with New Ticket Distribution Agreement

FORT WORTH, Texas and BELLEVUE, Wash., April 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — American Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of AMR Corporation, and Expedia, Inc. announced today a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that will allow the companies to resume doing business together, effective immediately. Access to fares and schedule information of American Airlines and its subsidiary American Eagle has been restored for search and ticketing on Expedia and Hotwire sites worldwide initially via global distribution system (GDS) technology.

Expedia said it plans to access American’s fares, schedules, and customized travel products and services via American’s direct connect link by using aggregation technology provided by a GDS. Expedia is committed to working with airlines, GDS and other technology partners to ensure continued innovation within the Expedia marketplace.

Additional terms were not disclosed.

Newly-Enrolled Companies Can Earn Up to 20,000 Business ExtrAA® Points as Part of American’s Significant Expansion in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, March 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — For a limited time, companies based in California that newly enroll in the American Airlines Business ExtrAA® program can receive up to 20,000 Business ExtrAA bonus points – enough for 10 Economy PlanAAhead® awards* valid for travel in the Continental United States, Canada and Mexico.

Part of the American Airlines Business Suite of travel products, Business ExtrAA is a complimentary program that rewards small and medium-sized companies for doing business with American. With Business ExtrAA, companies accrue points when their employees travel for business on American Airlines, American Eagle or American Connection® operated flights and include the company’s Business ExtrAA account number in their reservations. Employees can also earn American Airlines AAdvantage® miles on their personal frequent flyer accounts when traveling under their company’s Business ExtrAA number, so both the company and the individual traveler benefit.

“Small and medium-sized businesses continue to help drive our economic recovery here in the United States, so we’re excited to offer this promotion to help new member companies minimize their travel costs and get a jump start to earning travel awards in our Business ExtrAA program,” said Cathy Berg, American’s Regional Vice President – Western Sales Division.

This latest promotion is designed to support American’s expansion in Los Angeles as American and American Eagle grow service by 28 percent at Los Angeles International Airport with the introduction of 32 additional round trips beginning April 5, with new nonstop service to Albuquerque, N.M.; Boise, Idaho; El Paso, Texas; Houston (George Bush Intercontinental), Oklahoma City; Phoenix; Salt Lake City; Sacramento, Calif.; Tucson, Ariz.; and Shanghai, China.

“We believe our new routes out of LAX will be of high value to small and medium businesses who rely on face-to-face meetings to grow their business, and we are happy to take this opportunity to jump start their membership in a program that makes travel more affordable, more productive and more rewarding for businesses that consistently choose American,” added Karen Buls, American’s Director – Small & Medium Enterprises Products, Marketing & Sales Strategy.

Through this promotion, companies in California that newly enroll in the Business ExtrAA program will have the opportunity to reach the maximum 20,000 points bonus via a stepped approach. To earn the first award ticket, companies must enroll in the Business ExtrAA program using promotion code BIGCAL and have any one of their employees fly one qualifying round trip using the company’s new account number during the offer period, March 21, 2011, through June 30, 2011. Newly enrolled companies that spend $15,000 or more on qualifying** flights within the offer period will earn another 8,000 Business ExtrAA bonus points, equivalent to an additional four round-trip travel awards. And companies that spend a total of $30,000 or more during the offer period will earn another 10,000 Business ExtrAA bonus points, equivalent to an additional five round-trip travel awards. Every employee who travels using the company’s Business ExtrAA account number can help the company earn points. For more information on the promotion, visit www.aa.com/bigcal.

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 e-mail 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.

American Airlines has a long history of supporting small and medium businesses (SMBs), including sponsorship of organizations like Business Matchmaking, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and most recently SCORE, which provides training and mentoring services for a wide variety of SMBs. 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. For details, visit www.aa.com/business or call 1-800-457-7072, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT Monday – Friday (inside U.S. and Canada).

Terms and Conditions

This is a targeted offer valid only for new Business ExtrAA member companies based in California. Business ExtrAA companies located outside California, or with enrollment date prior to March 21, 2011, are not eligible for this offer.

To qualify for bonus points, eligible companies must be enrolled by June 30, 2011, at www.BusinessExtrAA.com using promotion code BIGCAL. For eligible companies to earn bonus points, company employees must travel on American Airlines, AmericanEagle or AmericanConnection using the company’s Business ExtrAA account number between March 21, 2011, and June 30, 2011.

The company’s Business ExtrAA account number must be in the employee’s reservation to earn bonus points. The company will earn 2,000 bonus points after the first employee flies one qualifying round trip using the company’s Business ExtrAA account number during the offer period. The company will earn an additional 8,000 points once it has spent $15,000 on eligible travel during the offer period. The company will earn another 10,000 points when it has spent $30,000 on eligible travel during the offer period. The maximum number of bonus points associated with this offer is 20,000. In addition to bonus points associated with this offer, companies will earn two base points for every $10 spent for all qualifying tickets on American Airlines, American Eagle and AmericanConnection carriers. Companies will earn one base point for every $10 spent on eligible itineraries from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and Miami (MIA).

Business ExtrAA bonus points will be posted to the member company’s account within six to eight weeks after the offer ends.

*Any Award Ticket referenced above is based on an Economy PlanAAhead award valid for the Continental U.S., Canada and Mexico. Points may be used for any published Business ExtrAA award. All taxes and fees, including reservations fees, assessed at the time of ticketing, are the responsibility of the passenger.

**Only purchased, published fare revenue from eligible flights, excluding codeshare flights (other than American Eagle and AmericanConnection), booked in eligible fare classes for travel on American, American Eagle, and  AmericanConnection and ticketed on American Airlines 001 ticket stock, will contribute to monthly revenue, net of refunds, fees, taxes, and commissions (“Flown Revenue”) for the purposes of earning points. American reserves the right to exclude or modify specific fare types in all or specific markets from its calculation of Flown Revenue. Retroactive ticket requests may not be eligible for promotional points. For complete details on eligible travel, www.BusinessExtrAA.com.

For questions about this offer, contact Business ExtrAA Customer Service at CustomerService@BusinessExtrAA.com or dial 1-800-457-7072, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. CT Monday – Friday (U.S. and Canada).

AmericanAirlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection, AAdvantage, AAdvantage Gold, Admirals Club and Business ExtrAA® are marks of American Airlines, Inc. American Eagle service is operated by American Eagle Airlines, Inc., or Executive Airlines, Inc., each of which is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines’ parent company. AmericanConnection service is operated by Chautauqua Airlines, Inc., which is an unaffiliated independent contractor. American Airlines reserves the right to change Business ExtrAA® programs at any time without notice. All Business ExtrAA program details apply; view program Terms and Conditions at www.BusinessExtrAA.com. For complete details about the AAdvantage program, visit www.aa.com. AAdvantage program Terms and Conditions apply. © 2011 American Airlines, Inc. All rights reserved.

About Business ExtrAA®

Business ExtrAA is a program that rewards companies when their employees fly on American Airlines, American Eagle, or AmericanConnection 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.

New Summer Schedule Means Hourly Service in the Afternoon from New York Kennedy to London Heathrow

FORT WORTH, Texas, March 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Summer 2011 will bring even more benefits to customers as a result of the enhanced relationship among American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia when, for the first time ever, the airlines’ schedules are coordinated for flights across the North Atlantic – including American’s London express service with 15 flights per day from the New York city area to London.

“Our newly aligned schedule for Summer 2011 reflects our commitment to deliver a superior travel experience for our customers. We are confident that our customers will welcome the enhanced travel options of our new joint product,” said Virasb Vahidi, American’s Chief Commercial Officer. “More convenient departure and arrival times and increased frequencies, in addition to our award-winning inflight service and onboard products, are just a few of the many outstanding customer benefits resulting from the launch of our trans-Atlantic joint business with British Airways and Iberia.”

The new schedule alignment, which begins March 27, means customers traveling between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and London Heathrow Airport (LHR) will benefit from more conveniently timed flights during peak periods in the late afternoon and evening. Customers will now have more ways to London – 15 flights a day in total between New York City (JFK/EWR) and London (LHR/LCY) – than ever before.

Previously, the 11 daily flights from JFK-LHR included five flights operated by American and British Airways that left at almost the same time. Now, those flights have been spread out to provide more departures at more desirable times throughout the day. For example, instead of the two morning flights from JFK in which both departed at 8:30 a.m., one will now depart at 8 a.m. and the other at 9:30 a.m., with both still arriving in London on the same day.

In addition to the schedule changes offering more ways to London, there are many other schedule improvements resulting from the joint business cooperation.

From Chicago to London, American and British Airways will now have close to hourly departures from 5 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. local time. Previously there was a three-hour gap in service.

Out of Miami, American and British Airways will now offer three different departure options between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. Before, only two departure times were available for customers.

In Boston, the new flight schedule allows passengers to leave at 8 a.m. or 9 a.m. local time, still arriving the same day into London. The last flight of the day has been pushed back by more than an hour making it more convenient for customers to get in a full day’s business before leaving for London.

On the other side of the Atlantic, schedules also have been aligned for customers flying to all of these U.S. destinations from London.

Additionally, customers will see new flights to new destinations this spring. Beginning April 5, American launches service from JFK to Budapest, Hungary, and on May 1, it begins a new flight from Chicago to Helsinki, Finland. Iberia begins nonstop service from Madrid, Spain, to Los Angeles on March 28 and Barcelona, Spain, to Miami service on March 29. Also, British Airways will begin service from San Diego to London on June 2.

On April 5, American will also increase service from Miami to Madrid and add a second flight from JFK to Barcelona on four days per week. British Airways will increase from two to three services a week from London’s Gatwick airport to Cancun, Mexico, beginning March 27.

American Airlines Puts New York – Tokyo on Sale for $399 Each Way Based on Round-Trip Purchase
An Inexpensive Way to Check Out American’s New JFK Flights to Haneda, Located Just 30 Minutes from Downtown Tokyo

FORT WORTH, Texas, March 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Here’s a chance to check out American Airlines new daily nonstop flights from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport to Tokyo International Airport at Haneda for a low fare of just $399 each way based on round-trip purchase plus taxes and fees.*

You may even be able to catch the famed blooming of Tokyo’s cherry blossoms in early April, since the special fare applies to travel from New York to Tokyo that starts between April 1 and May 31 and is completed by June 30. The fare is also good on American’s daily nonstop flights from New York to Tokyo’s Narita Airport. But plan now, because you must purchase your ticket by March 10.

American began flying from JFK to Haneda on Feb. 18, and is the only airline to fly nonstop from Greater New York to Haneda. Haneda is located just 30 minutes from downtown Tokyo, offering great convenience. American and its oneworld® and joint business partner Japan Airlines (JAL) now have three daily flights between JFK and Tokyo – one flight each on American to Haneda and Narita and the third flight on JAL to Narita.

American is also offering triple AAdvantage® miles for purchased First Class and Business Class travel from New York to Haneda and double miles for Economy Class travel on the Haneda route through May 31. That is a total of 20,000 miles for a one-way trip in First Class or Business Class – to reward customers for their loyalty. To register and obtain complete details, please visit www.aa.com/haneda.

American is providing expedited check-in procedures for premium passengers who travel from JFK to Haneda. The check-in deadline for First Class and Business Class passengers with checked bags is one hour in advance of departure time, and the check-in deadline for passengers without checked bags is just 45 minutes before departure time.

*Tickets must be purchased by March 10, 2011. Travel must begin between April 1, 2011 and May 31, 2011 and be completed by June 30, 2011. Fare shown does not include (a) $9 per round trip in local airport charges; (b) September 11th Security Fee of $2.50 per enplanement originating at a U.S. airport, and (c) other government taxes and fees of approximately $90 per round trip.

Tickets must be purchased at least 7 days prior to departure, or within 1 day of making reservations, whichever comes first, but no later than 11:59 p.m. (CT) March 10, 2011. Fares are valid for travel from JFK to Haneda and Narita beginning April 1, 2011 through May 31, 2011; all travel must be completed by June 30, 2011.

Premium Lounge is the First Joint Lounge of Its Kind for the Three Airlines

FORT WORTH, Texas, March 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — American Airlines (AA), British Airways (BA) and Iberia (IB) have proudly opened the doors of the airlines’ first joint Premium lounge. Located in Concourse E just beyond the security checkpoint on the fifth floor, the Premium lounge will provide additional seamless service as part of the joint business agreement among AA, BA and IB to share revenue, coordinate networks and schedules and co-operate commercially on routes between North America and Europe.

“With American and American Eagle operating from six gates in Terminal E and our joint business partners also operating from Terminal E, the Premium lounge offers customers traveling through Miami a convenient place to relax before, between and after flights,” said Peter Dolara, American’s Senior Vice President – Mexico, Caribbean and Latin America. “This lounge provides another customer touchpoint where our representatives can offer seamless, premium service and enhance the travel experience as part of the joint business.”

The newly opened AA, BA, IB Premium lounge spans 6,000 square feet and offers seating for 120 guests. The multi-functional Business Center has work stations, some with HP Compaq dc7900 PCs with complimentary high-speed Internet access, that enable guests to stay connected while traveling. Other amenities include two TV lounges with flat-panel TVs, a children’s room with HP PCs outfitted with age-appropriate programming, and spa-like showers.

Travelers visiting the Premium lounge can also take advantage of complimentary food and beverages. Customers can order premium liquors, wines and beer, as well as coffee, tea, sodas and water. For those looking for a bite to eat, the lounge offers a complimentary lunch, afternoon tea or light supper menu. Menus may include freshly-prepared soup du jour and an assortment of mini sandwiches.

“The opening of this new lounge enables us to offer our customers the best service at a time when our presence in Miami is growing significantly – apart from our daily flight between Miami and Madrid we will begin operating three non-stop weekly flights from Miami to Barcelona on March 29,” said Jose Maria Alvarado, Iberia’s Country Manager in the U.S. “This new Premium lounge is part of a 150 million-euro customer care program that Iberia launched in 2009 to among other things, renovate all of our VIP lounges and upgrade our Business Plus.”

The AA, BA, IB Premium lounge is open daily from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. and welcomes oneworld eligible International First Class, Business Class and Emerald and Sapphire customers. Customers traveling on an AA-operated transcontinental full fare First Class (F and Z inventory) or full fare Business Class (J and U inventory) ticket, as well as Admirals Club members departing from Concourse E, may also access the lounge

The U.S. Department of Transportation today assessed a civil penalty of $90,000 against American Airlines for failing to disclose that vouchers given to passengers for voluntarily giving up their seat on oversold flights could be redeemed only after paying as much as a $30 ticketing fee.

This is the first penalty issued by the Department against an airline for failing to disclose fees or other restrictions on the use of oversales vouchers.

“When passengers volunteer to give up their seat on an oversold flight, they are entitled to be fully compensated – not to find out later that they’re getting $30 less,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Passengers deserve to be treated fairly when they fly, and especially when they’ve volunteered to give up their seat because the airline overbooked their flight.”

Under DOT’s oversales, or “bumping,” rules, an airline must first seek volunteers willing to give up their seat on an oversold flight before bumping passengers involuntarily. The carrier may offer any type or amount of compensation agreed to by the volunteer, in contrast to involuntary bumping situations, where DOT rules require airlines to pay passengers cash compensation in most cases.

An investigation by DOT’s Aviation Enforcement Office found that American offered passengers travel vouchers worth specific dollar amounts as compensation for voluntary bumping. When awarding the vouchers, American did not tell passengers they would have to pay a ticketing fee to redeem the vouchers by telephone or at airport ticket counters, or that the vouchers could not be redeemed on the carrier’s internet site. American stopped requiring fees for tickets purchased by phone using vouchers about four years ago but continued to require fees for tickets acquired at airport counters until late last year, and even today passengers cannot use bumping vouchers to purchase tickets online. The carrier also did not tell passengers that vouchers used for tickets purchased by telephone had to be mailed to the carrier for processing as much as three weeks before the departure date.

FORT WORTH, Texas, Feb. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Monday, Feb. 7, may be the busiest day in the history of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. At American Airlines and American Eagle as many as 25 percent more passengers than normal will board our aircraft. DFW International Airport is expecting three times its normal bus traffic, so airport entry plazas and roadways could be as crowded as terminals.

Given the expected crowds, American’s DFW customer service staff recommends arriving at the airport at least three hours, or more, before your scheduled departure. Checking in on AA.com and printing boarding passes prior to arrival will help ease the journey through crowded terminals.

Travelers Monday at DFW should expect longer lines at:

• Airport Entry Plazas
• Rental Car Returns
• Ticket Counters/Check-in Kiosks
• Baggage drop-offs (Curbside and Ticket Counters)
• TSA Security Checkpoints

To help ease the backlog:

Terminal D and part of American Eagle’s Terminal B will be open all night Sunday evening into Monday morning, including:

• Ticket Counters
• Security Checkpoints
• Concessions

American’s Terminals A and C will open at 3 a.m. Monday.