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American
is Komen for the Cure’s Official Airline and First-Ever
Lifetime Promise Partner,
Committed to Raising Funds for Crucial Breast Cancer Research at
M. D. Anderson
FORT WORTH ,
Texas – American Airlines, the world’s largest airline, and
Susan G. Komen for the Cure ®, the world’s largest breast
cancer organization, today announced an expanded partnership
with the unveiling of two specially co-branded aircraft, an
American Airlines Boeing 757 (note
from the moderator: N664AA)
and an American Eagle Embraer 145, each incorporating the
renowned vivid pink-ribbon motif.
The
distinctive pink streamers, which extend the full length of the
fuselage of the two airplanes, 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.
Building on
its 20-year history of supporting Komen nationally, American
Airlines has pledged to raise $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. Donations can be made online at www.AA.com/Komen.
“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 airplanes take flight today is an inspiration to us
all.”
American and
American Eagle will add similar ribbons to an additional six
jets in the coming months.
“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.”
The first
American Airlines Promise Grant is funding research at the
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston to
aid in earlier detection of Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC),
the most aggressive form of the disease. The program will be
conducted through the center’s Morgan Welch Inflammatory
Breast Cancer Research Program and Clinic, named in memory of a
24-year-old IBC victim and the only such facility in the world.
The American Airlines Susan G. Komen for the Cure Promise Grant
will be the largest gift ever for IBC research, according to
Gabriel N. Hortobagyi, M.D., F.A.C.P., with M. D. Anderson
Cancer Center, who was among special guests at the Dallas/Fort
Worth International Airport (DFW) event.
“While
tremendous strides have been made in the overall treatment of
breast cancer, until now, there’s been very little research
into this rare disease that behaves so differently than other
breast cancers,” said Hortobagyi, M.D. “The global cancer
community will stand to benefit from our comprehensive research
program and what we learn about this disease. The only way to
achieve better outcomes for women with the disease is to have
dedicated resources, such as the funds allocated by Komen and
American Airlines for continued IBC research.”
The
pink-ribbon planes made their inaugural flights to DFW this
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.
The two
airplanes carrying the pink-ribbon motif are the first of eight
that will display this highly visible tribute to American and
American Eagle’s expanded partnership with Komen. Referred to
in the industry as livery, the vivid pink “ribbons” are
actually a type of decal. Mindful of fuel efficiency, the decal
on the 757 weighs just 50 lbs. and adds only an estimated $700
in annual fuel cost. The Embraer’s weighs only about 5 lbs.,
which has minimal fuel impact. Plans are to add the distinctive
pink ribbons to one American Airlines 777 and five additional
American Eagle Embraer jets. The eight planes are notable in
that one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in
their lifetime.
About
American Airlines
American Airlines is the world's largest airline.
American, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection ® airlines
serve 250 cities in over 40 countries with more than 4,000 daily
flights. The combined network fleet numbers more than
1,000 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 over 140
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)
About Susan
G. Komen for the Cure
Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she
would do everything in her power to end breast cancer forever.
In 1982, that promise became Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and
launched the global breast cancer movement. Today, Komen for the
Cure is the world's largest grassroots network of breast cancer
survivors and activists fighting to save lives, empower people,
ensure quality care for all and energize science to find the
cures. Thanks to events like the Komen Race for the Cure, we
have invested more than $1 billion to fulfill our promise,
becoming the largest source of nonprofit funds dedicated to the
fight against breast cancer in the world. For more information
about Susan G. Komen for the Cure, breast health or breast
cancer, visit www.komen.org
or call 1-877 GO KOMEN.
About
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
The University of Texas M.
D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston ranks as one of the
world's most respected centers focused on cancer patient care,
research, education and prevention. M. D. Anderson is one of
only 41 Comprehensive Cancer Centers designated by the National
Cancer Institute. For six of the past nine years, M. D. Anderson
has ranked No. 1 in cancer care in “America's Best
Hospitals,” a survey published annually in U.S. News and World
Report.
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