American Is Sole Airline on '50 Out Front for Diversity Leadership' List FORT WORTH, Texas, April 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- American Airlines has been recognized by DiversityMBA Magazine as one of the best places for diverse managers to work. In the magazine's fourth annual rankings, American was the only airline included in the list of "50 Out Front for Diversity Leadership: Best Places for Diverse Managers to Work," which appears in the April 2009 issue. American ranked 17th on the Top-50 chart. The magazine's criteria for the list were expanded this year to include companies that implement strategies based on accountability, strong inclusion practices, and ongoing evaluation of retention/recruitment activities that allow and encourage managers of diverse backgrounds to excel and develop into leadership roles. In the past, the list focused primarily on recruitment and diversity programs. "American has worked hard over the years to be an inclusive employer and we are truly honored to be named by DiversityMBA Magazine as one of the best places for diverse managers to work," said Denise Lynn, American's Vice President - Diversity and Leadership Strategies. "Valuing and promoting diversity and inclusion among employees is good for our workforce and our customers, smart for our business - and most important, it is the right thing to do as a good corporate citizen." DiversityMBA Magazine provides research reports on diversity benchmarks for talent retention, industry diversity programs, and performance in the diversity arena through a partnership with DePaul University. The publication is distributed at newsstands, top business schools, professional and business associations domestically, and 30 countries worldwide through the Top MBA World Tour. The top 50 ranking in DiversityMBA Magazine is the latest recognition of American's efforts to encourage diversity and inclusion across all facets of its business. American was also recently honored as one of the nation's "Top 50 Employers" by readers of Equal Opportunity magazine in that publication's 16th annual survey. Last year, American was named one of the "Top 60 Companies for Hispanics" by Hispanic Business magazine, one of just two airlines to make the list - and the third consecutive year that American was selected. In addition, for seven consecutive years American has received the highest possible score from the Human Rights Campaign, an organization dedicated to promoting and ensuring understanding of gay and lesbian issues through innovative education and communication strategies. American has a long history of fostering equal employment opportunities for minority employees. In 1963, the airline hired the first African-American flight attendant to fly for a U.S. commercial airline. The first African-American pilot was hired in 1964 and the first female pilot was hired in 1973. Today, approximately 32 percent of American and American Eagle's domestic employees are minorities and about 40 percent of the two airlines' employees are female. Diversity efforts at American are guided in part by a Diversity Advisory Council, which includes representatives from the company's 16 Employee Resource Groups. Now in its 15th year, the council helps ensure that American is a good place to work for all employees. To learn more about American's diversity and inclusion efforts, go to AA.com's "About Us" section and select "Diversity & Inclusion." About American Airlines American Airlines, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection(R) airlines serve 250 cities in 40 countries with, on average, more than 3,400 daily flights. The combined network fleet numbers more than 900 aircraft. American's award-winning Web site, AA.com(R), 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(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 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) AmericanAirlines(R) We know why you fly(R) Current AMR Corp. releases can be accessed on the Internet. The address is http://www.aa.com/content/amrcorp/pressReleases/main.jhtml DATASOURCE: American Airlines CONTACT: Mary Sanderson, Corporate Communications of American Airlines, +1-817-967-1577, Web Site: http://www.aa.com/

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