American Airlines said today it
is honored to have been named to THE BCA TEN:  Best Companies Supporting the
Arts in America by the Business Committee for the Arts, a national
not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering collaboration between
business and the arts.“I’m thrilled that BCA has selected American Airlines for this prestigious
award,” said American Airlines Chairman and CEO Gerard Arpey.  “As a company,
we have long recognized that providing support to the arts greatly contributes
to the quality of life in the cities we serve—both for our customers and
for our employees.  I’m pleased that our efforts and contributions have been
recognized.”
  THE BCA TEN awards, sponsored by BCA and FORBES Magazine, were presented
for the first time this year.  They are based on a number of factors,
including the company’s and its employees’ active support of the arts, the
degree to which the arts are incorporated into customer relationships, the
extent to which the arts are pervasive in the company’s culture, and how the
company helps to increase audiences for the arts.
  American provides significant support to hundreds of arts organizations
each year throughout the United States, in cities both large and small.  In
American’s hometown of Dallas/Fort Worth, for instance, the airline and its
people work closely with dozens of arts and cultural organizations.
  Other organizations and events receiving American’s support include the
Roundabout Theatre Company in New York City, the Japanese American National
Museum in California, the Symphony of the Americas Concert Series in Latin
America and Miami, and the Art Institute of Chicago, to name just a few.
  In addition, the airline also supports and encourages artistic expression
among its own people by sponsoring an annual “On My Own Time Employee Art
Show” at the company’s headquarters in Dallas/Fort Worth.  The two-week
exhibit allows American’s employees from across the company to show their own
artwork, which is judged by professional artists and then displayed in a
prominent location in the area.
  As a company committed to the communities it serves, American has
continued its active support of the arts even as the airline—and indeed the
entire airline industry—goes through a period of unprecedented upheaval and
financial stress, a fact noted by Fred Bronstein, President and CEO of the
Dallas Symphony Association.
  “It is easy to give back to the community when all is upbeat,” said
Bronstein.  “But the true measure of greatness for any organization or company
is how it acts when the going gets tough.  American has demonstrated what a
great company is in both the best and most challenging of times.”
  Bella Goren, American’s Vice President of Interactive Marketing and
Reservations as well as a member of the board of North Texas Business for
Culture and the Arts, accepted the award in New York on American’s behalf.
  “American and our people have a long-standing record of supporting the
arts and enhancing what the arts bring to our communities,” said Goren
afterward.  “Hundreds of American and American Eagle employees volunteer in
many positions and capacities in local and national arts organizations, and
this commitment has been ongoing.  We’re proud of them, and grateful for their
contributions.”
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