April 15, 2012
American Airlines Fluent in Portuguese and Spanish for LGBT Travelers
Mark Thompson READ TIME: 2 MIN.
FORT WORTH, Texas - American Airlines announced that its popular lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Web portal, www.AA.com/Rainbow, now welcomes travelers in two additional languages - Portuguese and Spanish.
In 2006, American Airlines was among the world's first airlines to design an innovative LGBT website to reach out to travel-savvy and loyal LGBT travelers. The added languages are intended to connect American with more of its customers throughout the Western Hemisphere and beyond. All three language choices offered are at the top of the page, and travelers simply choose their language preference to access it.
"As one of the largest global airlines, American Airlines recognizes the importance of making information available in different languages," said Cynthia Barnes, American's Director - Diversity Markets. "As we modernize our brand, enhance the customer experience and continue to grow our network in Latin America, adding the Spanish and Portuguese languages to AA.com/Rainbow will enhance our customer experience."
American offers more flights to more destinations from the U.S. to Central and South America than any other airline. American's introduction of additional languages continues its focus on welcoming all customers and making it easier and more convenient to research and book travel. Spanish language products from American include AA.com/Espanol, www.aprendi.com and Nexos Magazine on select flights.
"Travel and hospitality have always been trailblazers in global commerce," said Sam Santiago, Director - American Giving. "In Latin America, a great deal of progress has been made towards lesbian and gay inclusion, respect and acceptance. By opening new doors and destinations, offering new and enhanced service, and expanding languages, we hope to accelerate this progress for LGBT travelers."
The announcement was also cheered in Florianopolis, Brazil, during the opening of the 29th annual convention of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association (www.iglta.org) - and the first ever held in South America. The IGLTA hosts more than 500 business and community leaders from more than 35 nations committed to driving the full potential of LGBT tourism.
John Tanzella, President/CEO of IGLTA, said: "We congratulate American Airlines, not only for its longstanding support for IGLTA and its gay-friendly culture, but also for overcoming language boundaries and promoting online accessibility. Across the Americas, and here in Brazil, we have some of the most welcoming member destinations in the world."
In the United States, American Airlines is the first and only airline to earn a perfect 100 percent score every year on the prestigious Corporate Equality Index. The Index was created in 2003 by the Human Rights Campaign (www.hrc.org) to serve as a benchmark for corporate leaders known for their gay-friendly and fair-minded policies.
For more background on American's commitment to LGBT inclusion and diversity, visit www.AA.com/Diversity
To join American's LGBT Facebook community conversation, visit https://www.facebook.com/AARainbowTeam
LGBT AAdvantage� members may also update profile information to indicate an interest in LGBT travel and receive special offers.
A long-term New Yorker and a member of New York Travel Writers Association, Mark Thompson has also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The author of the novels WOLFCHILD and MY HAWAIIAN PENTHOUSE, he has a PhD in American Studies and is the recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center. His work has appeared in numerous publications.
