AMERICAN INSIGHT
WORLDWIDETRAVELER
AAdvantage®memberRayWatsonracksup themiles
andmakes friendsalong theway.
Whattypeofworkdoyoudo?
Iam thevicepresidentof technology for
acommunicationsandcyber-security
company.Weworkwithfirmsallover
theworldbuildingcustom,privatenet-
works tosecurely transport information
globallyand toenable them tosafely
moveapplications to thecloud.
Howoftendoyoutravel?
Iusually take threeor four tripsa
month tocities inNorthAmericaand
acoupleof tripsperquarter toEurope
andAsia.Mycompanyhasbeenex-
pandingquiteabit, so the international
travelcontinues to increase. Ialso like
to takemywifeand twochildrenonat
leastone internationalvacationper
year.So farwe’vebeen toJapan,France,
theUnitedKingdomandHongKong.
What isyourfavoriteaspect
offlying?
Thepeople. Ihavemadea lotof friends
onairplanesand inAdmiralsClub
lounges. Inmanycaseswehavebecome
longtime friendsviasocialmedia.
Mostof themarebusiness travelers,
butquitea fewareflightattendants,
AdmiralsClub“AAngels”andevena
coupleofpilots.On thepassenger front
Ihavemetandbecome friendswith
executives from industriesasdiverseas
icecreammanufacturing topediatric
eyesurgery.
What’syourfavoriteperk?
Definitely theAAdvantagemiles! If it
weren’t forAAdvantagemiles, Iwould’ve
neverbeenable to introducemychildren
toKyoto,HongKongorManchester. I
maximizeearningmilesnot justbyflying,
butalsobyshoppinganddiningout.
Ifyoucouldtravelwithonlythree
items,whatwouldtheybe?
Probablymy iPhone, laptopand
passport.WithWi-Fionsomany
planes, Icanbeproductivewhile
traveling toprettymuchanywhere.
But themost importantpart isgetting
homesafely, somy favorite thingon
board isallof thepeoplewhoensure
thatIgethome.
AMERICANWAY
NOVEMBER2015
103
AADVANTAGE
MEMBER
SPOTLIGHT
Honoring
our
veterans
T
his yearmarks the50th anniversary
of thebeginningof theVietnam
War.As aCommemorativePartner with
theDepartment ofDefense,American
was proud tohost several events inearly
November inhonor of ourVietnam-era
employees and their familymembers.
Theevents, which tookplace at all nine
hubs and inTulsa, featured apinning
ceremony recognizingeachVietnam
veteran in attendance.
In addition tohosting this dayof
recognition across theU.S., it’s our
honor toholdevents andpartner with
organizations that provide assistance
to veterans,militarymembers and their
families year-round.Among these
events andorganizations areAmerican
Airlines SkyBall andAirCompassion
forVeterans (ACV).
AmericanAirlines SkyBall is an
annual event that celebrates veterans,
men andwomen in uniform, and
their families. Held in a hangar-
turned-ballroom, SkyBall also raises
funds formilitary- and veteran-
support initiatives like theAirpower
Foundation (APF), theGary Sinise
Foundation, ACV, andSnowball
Express, a program that serves children
of fallen soldiers.
AirCompassion forVeterans
is anorganization that provides
transportation formedical care and
rehabilitation to veterans, servicemen
andwomen, and their families.We’re
proud to support theACVwith funds
fromFuel Smart, anemployee-led fuel
conservation initiative.
WANTTOHELP?
Joinus in supportingour veterans,
militarymembers, first responders and
their families bydonating your
AmericanAirlinesAAdvantage®miles
toourMiles forAllWhoServeprogram.
Yourmileswill helpmilitary-support
programs andorganizations like those
mentioned in this article. Learnmore
anddonate at
aa.com/giving
.
Visit
vietnamwar50th.com
to learn
about other commemorativeevents
takingplace across theUnitedStates.
