American Airlines Named One of the 'Best Places for Diverse Managers to Work'

American Airlines has been recognized by Diversity MBA Magazine as one of the best places for diverse managers to work. In the magazine's fourth annual rankings, American was the only airline included in the list of "50 Out Front for Diversity Leadership: Best Places for Diverse Managers to Work," which appears in the April 2009 issue. American ranked 17th on the Top 50 chart.

"American has worked hard over the years to be an inclusive employer and we are truly honored to be named by DiversityMBA Magazine as one of the best places for diverse managers to work," said Denise Lynn, American's vice president -- Diversity and Leadership Strategies. "Valuing and promoting diversity and inclusion among employees is good for our workforce and our customers, smart for our business -- and most important, it is the right thing to do as a good corporate citizen."

American has a long history of fostering equal employment opportunities for minority employees. In 1963, the airline hired the first African-American flight attendant to fly for a U.S. commercial airline. The first African-American pilot was hired in 1964 and the first female pilot was hired in 1973. Today, approximately 32% of American and American Eagle's domestic employees are minorities and about 40% of the two airlines' employees are female. Diversity efforts at American are guided in part by a Diversity Advisory Council, which includes representatives from the company's 16 Employee Resource Groups. Now in its 15th year, the council helps ensure that American is a good place to work for all employees.

DiversityMBA Magazine provides research reports on diversity benchmarks for talent retention, industry diversity programs and performance in the diversity arena through a partnership with DePaul University. The magazine's criteria for the list were expanded this year to include companies that implement strategies based on accountability, strong inclusion practices, and ongoing evaluation of retention/recruitment activities that allow and encourage managers of diverse backgrounds to excel and develop into leadership roles. In the past, the list focused primarily on recruitment and diversity programs.