American Airlines Partners with UNICEF to Provide Relief for COVID-19 Efforts in Latin America

FORT WORTH, Texas (April 22, 2020) — As part of American’s ongoing relief efforts in support of the coronavirus (COVID-19) response, the airline is allocating $460,000 to support UNICEF’s relief work in Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, and Guatemala, helping address the needs of children and families by:

• Providing supplies to at-risk and affected communities, including water, sanitation & hygiene items, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and basic health kits.
• Supporting interventions for infection prevention and control in health facilities, schools and communities.
• Promoting hygiene education to limit transmission and protect individuals from exposure.

Donations collected through UNICEF’s Change for Good program in 2019 will be allocated toward this effort. American Airlines flight attendants, also known as Champions for Children, participate in the Change for Good program by collecting international and domestic currency on select international flights. Last year the program raised more than $1.2 million dollars. Since 1994, American has been the participating U.S. airline in the UNICEF campaign.

“Serving the communities we call home is at the heart of everything we do at American,” said Jill Surdek, Senior Vice President – Flight Service. “American has a long and proud history in Latin America, and we are thankful that because of the great work that our ‘Champions’ do every year, we’re able to provide relief to communities that are battling this pandemic.”

“American Airlines and their passengers have been true advocates for children through their support of UNICEF for over 25 years, and in these unprecedented times, their commitment to helping children and families is vitally important," said Gabriella Morris, Interim Chief Development Officer at UNICEF USA. “Working together will allow us to support families, equip front-line health workers and help keep children and communities healthy and safe.”

Although American has significantly reduced their flying schedule worldwide, people can still donate to the Change for Good program in this time of need at unicefusa.org/aa.

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Let Good Take Flight 
American Airlines is committed to caring for people on life’s journey and remains dedicated to addressing the needs of different communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In cooperation with its generous customers, American has raised more than $2.5 million to support the American Red Cross and its volunteers who are on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. Supply kits have been provided to The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston; and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis to support medical professionals on the frontlines. American provided care packages to military bases to be shared with troops who are quarantined after returning from deployment. As a result of excess inventory due to a reduced flying schedule, American is donating many tons of food to food banks across the country. American team members at multiple locations, including Miami International Airport (MIA), Frankfurt am Main Airport (FRA) and Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) are sewing masks for their coworkers and members of the community to wear. The airline also worked with the U.S. Department of State to operate repatriation flights to bring U.S. citizens home from abroad. American continues to operate cargo-only flights, transporting necessary supplies, including personal protective equipment, to the frontlines of the COVID-19 effort. 

About American Airlines Group
American Airlines offers customers 6,800 daily flights to more than 365 destinations in 61 countries from its hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. With a shared purpose of caring for people on life’s journey, American’s 130,000 global team members serve more than 200 million customers annually. Since 2013, American has invested more than $25 billion in its product and people and now flies the youngest fleet among U.S. carriers, equipped with industry-leading high-speed Wi-Fi, lie-flat seats, more in-flight entertainment and power. American also offers award-winning food and beverage options in the air and on the ground in its world-class Admirals Club and Flagship lounges. American was recently named a Five Star Global Airline by the Airline Passenger Experience Association and Airline of the Year by Air Transport World. American is a founding member of oneworld^®, whose members serve 1,100 destinations in 180 countries and territories. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL and the company’s stock is included in the S&P 500. Learn more about what’s happening at American by visiting news.aa.com and connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines.

About UNICEF 
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to put children first. UNICEF has helped save more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization, by providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. UNICEF USA supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy and education in the United States. Together, we are working toward the day when no children die from preventable causes and every child has a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit unicefusa.org and for more details about UNICEF’s response to COVID-19, visit unicefusa.org/covid-19.

For more information, contact
Ann Reinking Whitener, UNICEF USA, areinking@unicefusa.org