During Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15–Oct. 15), American Airlines is celebrating its Hispanic team members and their contributions to the airline throughout its history. American has a long and proud history in Latin America and the Caribbean, starting in 1942 with the launch of service to Mexico — with routes to Monterrey and Mexico City — marking the airline’s foray into the region. But not until 1990, after purchasing Eastern Airlines’ Latin America routes, did the airline’s rapid expansion begin, launching service from Miami to 20 cities in 15 countries, currently including Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Peru.
Today, although some of the airline’s operations in the region are suspended due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, American connects more than 50 Spanish-speaking destinations in Mexico, Central and South America, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico with the U.S. Our hub in Miami serves as the main gateway to the region for more than three decades.
“We are honoured to serve as an important bridge between Latin America, the Caribbean and the U.S., helping connect families and loved ones, especially during one of the most difficult times many of us have ever faced,” said Juan Carlos Liscano, Vice President of Operations in Miami, the Caribbean and Latin America. “American’s rich Hispanic Heritage is part of the fabric of our airline and is something that we are proud to celebrate not just this month, but year-round.”
American’s presence in the region today includes almost 3,000 Hispanic team members, taking care of customers through their entire travel journey, from the moment they book a reservation to when they land in the U.S. In addition to the airline’s Reservations offices in Argentina, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Peru, as well as Flight Attendant bases in Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru, Latin America and the Caribbean are also home to Maintenance, Management and Operational team members.
“In addition to our Hispanic team members in Latin America and the Caribbean, we also have a large Hispanic workforce in the U.S., all deeply committed to making an impact on the communities we serve as we continue to battle to overcome this pandemic,” said Liscano. “We are all incredibly proud of where we come from and the diverse voices and perspectives that we bring to American.”
As communities around the world continue to be impacted by COVID-19, team members have been lending a helping hand through efforts coordinated by the Latin Diversity Network and Caribbean Employee Business Resource Groups in the region and in the U.S., including donating much-needed relief supplies to community hospitals and food banks, and organizing virtual fundraising events, to name a few. In addition to American’s partnership with UNICEF to support relief work in Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica and Guatemala, most recently American announced the donation of 1 million pounds of food to fight hunger in communities around the world, positively impacting underserved Hispanic communities both in the U.S. and in Latin America.
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