V A N T A G E P O I N T
AMERICANWAY
OCTOBER 1 2008
12
PHOTOGRAPHBYCHETSNEDDEN
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lar mammograms. Twenty-five years ago,
fewer thanone in three received clinical ex-
ams. The five-year survival rate forwomen
withbreast cancer,when it is caught before
it spreads beyond the breast, is 98percent,
up from74percent in1982.Andduring the
last quarter century, the amount of money
spent by the U.S. government on breast-
cancer researchhas increased thirtyfold.
The fact that in theUnited States alone
there are 2.3 million breast-cancer sur-
vivors illustrates how far we’ve come and,
more importantly, howmuchmorewe can
accomplish if we redouble our efforts. Oc-
tober isNational Breast CancerAwareness
Month, and it’s gratifying toknow that our
pink-ribboned planes, which are flying ev-
erywhere from the U.S. heartland to the
major cities of Europe, Asia, and South
America, aredrawingattention to thiswor-
thy cause.
We’ve made it easy for our customers
to get involved too. To make a donation
through our Miles for the Cure program,
visit
AAdvantage
members earnfivemiles for eachdollardo-
nated,withaminimum$25donation.
Part of the beauty of air travel is that it
simultaneously reveals how different and
howalikepeopleareall over theworld.One
ofthewaysweareallalike isthatwe loveour
mothers, sisters, and daughters and want
them to be well. Joining the fight against
breast cancer by supportingKomen for the
Cure isagreatway forall ofus toaffirm this
commonbondwhilehelping tomakea tan-
gibledifference inmillionsof lives.
Thank you for your support of this
cause and, as always, for flying American
Airlines.
Red,White,Blue,andPink
Gerard J. Arpey
Chairman&CEO
AmericanAirlines
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I
I’m guessing that one of the things that
leaps tomindwhen you think of American
Airlines is the distinctive look of our air-
planes: the gleamingmetal combinedwith
our signature red, white, and blue stripes.
We’re proud of our colors, but we’re also
proud that on a select group of American
Airlines and American Eagle aircraft, we
have added a flash of pink to themix. Spe-
cifically, eight airplanesnow sport fuselage-
length versions of the iconic pink ribbon of
SusanG.Komen for theCure.
Komen fortheCure istheworld’spremier
grassroots network of breast-cancer survi-
vors and activists, and the ribbons on our
planes herald a new chapter in AA’s more-
than-20-year partnershipwithKomen de-
voted to ending breast cancer forever. We
areKomen’sofficial airlineand itsfirst-ever
Lifetime Promise Partner, having pledged
to raise aminimum of $1million a year for
eight years. That money will fund, among
other things, afive-year studyof inflamma-
tory breast cancer (themost lethal form of
thedisease) at theUniversityofTexasM.D.
AndersonCancerCenter.
Our support ofKomen (and other chari-
table efforts) reflects the compassion of
our employees and their determination to
make a positive difference in the hundreds
of communitieswe serve around theworld.
The pink-ribbon decals adorning our air-
craft were designed and applied by Ameri-
canAirlinesandAmericanEaglevolunteers
who donated their time to be part of the
fight against breast cancer.
We’re up against a very tough opponent.
Anestimatedoneoutofeightwomenwillbe
diagnosedwithbreastcancerduringher life-
time.Andwhile thenumberofmenaffected
by thedisease ismuch smaller, thousandsof
men are diagnosedwith breast cancer each
year as well. Fortunately, important prog-
ress is beingmade, thanks in large part to
Komen.Today,nearly threeoutofevery four
Americanwomen over age 40 receive regu-
