WASHINGTON and FORT WORTH, Texas, April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- SCORE, America's premier source of free and confidential small business advice, has once again joined with American Airlines, the industry leader in helping small and midsize businesses maximize the value of their travel through American's Business ExtrAA®program, a free business-to-business loyalty program. According to recent data by Replicon, airfare makes up approximately 40 percent of a business' overall travel costs.
American Airlines and SCORE will work together to help small business owners identify opportunities for growth while providing helpful tips to maximize the value of their travel. Specifically, an educational eGuide will be created and the two organizations also plan to host a free informative webinar aimed at this goal by August. In 2011, SCORE's online educational tools were accessed by more than 535,000 small business clients and their webinars had over 87,000 participants.
"SCORE is extremely pleased to partner with American Airlines to help educate entrepreneurs and ultimately improve their bottom lines in a real way," said SCORE's Director of Marketing, Bridget Weston Pollack. "Travel is an important component for many small businesses and this relationship between SCORE and American Airlines will aim to make it easier and more effective for them."
"Small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. Economy and we recognize that the economic environment remains tough," said Daniel Roose, American's Director – Small and Midsize Enterprise Loyalty. "Therefore, we are very focused on providing travel products that enable businesses to travel and have the face-to-face meetings that are so crucial to growth and success and joining with organizations, such as SCORE, to provide educational tools that add value."
American Airlines has a long history of supporting small- and medium-size businesses, including sponsorship of organizations like SCORE, incubators, and other organizations focused on small businesses. For more information on American Airlines suite of business products, visit www.aa.com/business.
About American Airlines
American Airlines, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection® carrier serve 260 airports in more than 50 countries and territories with, on average, more than 3,300 daily flights. The combined network fleet numbers more than 900 aircraft. American's award-winning website, AA.com®, provides users with easy access to check and book fares, plus personalized news, information and travel offers.