American Airlines and Gulf Air Announce Reciprocal Frequent Flyer Agreement

FORT WORTH, Texas, Dec. 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- American Airlines, a founding member of the global oneworld(R) Alliance, has teamed up with Gulf Air, one of the most respected airlines in the Middle East, to offer frequent flyers more opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles.

Today, American Airlines AAdvantage(R) members will be able to earn and redeem AAdvantage miles on Gulf Air flights worldwide. AAdvantage members in the United States can travel on American to London Heathrow, Paris, Frankfurt or Dublin and make a convenient connection to Gulf Air destinations in the Middle East/Indian subcontinent or Africa and earn or redeem miles for their entire journey. AAdvantage members located throughout Europe, the Middle East and Asia will also benefit from the ability to earn and redeem miles on Gulf Air's network of more than 50 destinations in 30 countries.

Additionally, Gulf Air's frequent flyer members can connect via American's European gateways, London, Paris, Frankfurt or Dublin to American's transatlantic flights to the United States and beyond to American's unparalleled network throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, the Caribbean and Latin America. In total, Gulf Air's members will benefit from more than 250 American Airlines destinations in more than 40 countries.

"We are excited to welcome Gulf Air to the AAdvantage program, giving AAdvantage members even more opportunities to earn and redeem their miles to exciting destinations in the Gulf Air network," said Kurt Stache, President - AAdvantage Marketing Programs. "American and Gulf Air have had a long- standing codeshare agreement which has allowed our customers to experience travel on Gulf Air flights for many years. Our frequent flyer agreement now allows our customers the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of our expanded relationship with Gulf Air through their participation in the AAdvantage Travel Rewards program."

"We are delighted to become partners with American in our Frequent Flyer program," said Gulf Air Vice President of Marketing and Sales, Lee Shave. "This is one more significant milestone in our more than a decade long relationship with American. As the airline with the largest network in the Middle East with excellent onward connections to Asia, Europe and Africa, AAdvantage members traveling to this part of the world on business or leisure will find this an advantageous proposition."

Gulf Air operates a modern fleet of Boeing and Airbus aircraft, including Boeing 767-300s and Airbus A340s, A330s, and A320s. The airline is known for its exceptional service and innovative products such as "Sky Chefs" who prepare personalized onboard meals for First Class customers and "Sky Nanny" service on all wide-body longhaul routes, assisting families with children and giving parents a much-needed break during the flight.

For more details about Gulf Air's participation in the AAdvantage program, visit http://www.aa.com/partners .

About American Airlines

American Airlines is the world's largest airline. American, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection(R) airlines serve 250 cities in over 40 countries with more than 3,900 daily flights. The combined network fleet numbers more than 1,000 aircraft. Available to users of American's award- winning Web site, AA.com, are flexible fare-search options, the ability to check-in for flights and a lowest-fare guarantee. American Airlines is a founding member of the oneworld(R) 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 more than 600 destinations in over 135 countries and territories. American Airlines, Inc. and American Eagle Airlines, Inc. are subsidiaries of AMR Corporation . AmericanAirlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection, AA.com and AAdvantage are registered trademarks of American Airlines, Inc.

About Gulf Air

Gulf Air, a venture jointly owned by the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Sultanate of Oman, started service in 1950 and serves more than 50 cities in over 30 countries from their hubs in Bahrain and Muscat, including destinations throughout the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, and Europe.

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