FORT WORTH, Texas, Jan. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- American
Airlines, in close coordination with the United States Department
of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection
(CBP), today announced it is the first carrier to offer its nearly
40,000 pilots and flight attendants complimentary membership in
CBP's Global Entry program. Membership in Global Entry allows
expedited CBP clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon
arrival in the United States.
"American is proud to be the first airline to offer Global Entry
membership free of charge to all of our eligible pilots and flight
attendants," said Tim Campbell,
American Airlines senior vice president of Air Operations. "Global
Entry is another tool that will make travel easier for our crew
members, who work and travel throughout American's extensive
international network. We applaud DHS Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and CBP Deputy Commissioner
Kevin McAleenan for their
partnership in this effort."
"This is a great benefit for our members, and once again
demonstrates what we can accomplish when we work together," said
Association of Professional Flight Attendants National President
Laura Glading. "As an international
flight attendant, I know that crews returning from long-haul
overnight flights are especially going to appreciate the faster
processing at customs, but it's really a benefit for all of our
members who travel internationally as flight attendants or as
leisure travelers."
"We applaud and welcome this company initiative to provide
complimentary Global Entry to our pilots," said Capt. Keith Wilson, President of the Allied Pilots
Association. "This program can be utilized for both work and
personal travel and also allows entry into the TSAPreCheck™
program. Hundreds of our pilots return to the United States from lengthy international
flights every day. Global Entry dramatically cuts down on the
time spent in customs waiting to get out of the airport."
Started as a pilot program in 2008, Global Entry is now
operational at 42 U.S. airports and 11 pre-clearance locations. As
an added benefit, Global Entry members are also eligible to
participate in the TSAPreCheck™ expedited screening program. As
part of the process, all participants must be pre-approved for the
Global Entry program and undergo a rigorous background check and
interview before enrollment. Eligible American flight crew members
may begin enrolling in the program this month.
Envoy Air Inc., an American Airlines Group wholly owned regional
carrier, will also offer complimentary Global Entry membership to
its more than 2,700 crew members starting today.
About American Airlines Group
American Airlines Group
(NASDAQ: AAL) is the holding company for American Airlines and US
Airways. Together with wholly owned and third-party regional
carriers operating as American Eagle and US Airways Express, the
airlines operate an average of nearly 6,700 flights per day to 339
destinations in 54 countries from its hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort
Worth, Los Angeles,
Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. The American Airlines
AAdvantage and US Airways Dividend Miles programs allow members to
earn miles for travel, vacation packages, car rentals, hotel stays
and everyday purchases. Members of both programs can redeem miles
for tickets as well as upgrades to First Class and Business Class.
In addition, AAdvantage members can redeem miles for vacation
packages, car rentals, hotel stays and retail products. American is
a founding member of the oneworld alliance, whose members
and members-elect serve nearly 1,000 destinations with 14,250 daily
flights to 150 countries. Connect with American on Twitter
@AmericanAir and Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines and follow US
Airways on Twitter @USAirways.
About the Association of Professional Flight
Attendants
The Association of Professional Flight
Attendants, founded in 1977, represents the more than 24,000 flight
attendants at American Airlines. In November
2011, American's parent company filed for Chapter 11
bankruptcy protection. Throughout the bankruptcy trial, APFA
President Laura Glading served on
the Unsecured Creditors' Committee where she advocated for the
American Airlines Flight Attendants. In February 2013, American and US Airways announced
their intention to combine the carriers and on December 9, 2013, AA exited bankruptcy and the
merger was final. Achieving a merger inside bankruptcy is
unprecedented in the industry and would not have occurred without
the efforts of American's labor unions, particularly APFA.
About the Allied Pilots Association
Founded in 1963,
the Allied Pilots Association — the largest independent pilots
union in the United States — is
headquartered in Fort Worth,
Texas. APA represents the 15,000 pilots of American Airlines
and US Airways, including several hundred pilots on full-time
military leave of absence serving in the armed forces. The union's
website is www.alliedpilots.org. American Airlines is the world's
largest passenger airline.
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SOURCE American Airlines