Taking Top Honors, American Also Announces a New Era in its Wine Program

FORT WORTH , Texas – When seeking the world's finest wine selection at 30,000 feet, Business Traveller and Wine & Spirit Magazine say you should look no further than the First and Business Class cabins on American Airlines flights.

The Cellars in the Sky 2006 Awards were announced today, and American Airlines was named a winner in two categories: Best First Class Wine Cellar for overall selection and Wild Card Wine for its Lustau La Plaza Vieja sherry.

Not to rest on its laurels, American Airlines has taken steps to ensure that wine-loving passengers can continue to taste the finest reds, whites and champagnes with international wine-judging professional and connoisseur Diane Teitelbaum joining the company as its wine consultant.

“American Airlines takes great pride in selecting fine wines for our passengers,” said Mary McKee, American's Managing Director of Onboard Products. “While we are honored to receive these awards, we are also very pleased to continue taking our wine lists to another level with our new wine consultant, Diane Teitelbaum.”

Cellars in the Sky is an annual award organized by Wine & Spirit Magazine and the International Wine Challenge. This year, 35 airlines from across the globe entered a selection of their finest wines for two days of blind taste testing. Winners were announced today at the Business Travel Show in London with awards presented by Co-Chairman of the International Wine Challenge, Charles Metcalfe.

 A New Era in Wine Selection
Teitelbaum, a wine professional with nearly 30 years experience, has taken responsibility for selecting the nearly 60 wines served each month following the retirement of Dr. Richard Vine, who served as American's wine consultant for more than two decades.

Previously, Teitelbaum has consulted for hotels, restaurants and collectors in regards to wine lists, programs and purchasing. She has written about wine for 20 years. In addition, she has been a wine educator for 25 years, teaching classes and seminars offered throughout Texas and nationally with the Italian Trade Commission. Teitelbaum also has been appraising wine since 1984 for auctions, insurance and private collectors. Finally, she's been an international professional wine judge in more than 70 wine competitions and is affiliated with a number of top wine organizations, including Les Dames d'Escoffier International; Society of St. Vincent de Macon, Burgundy; the Society of Wine Educators; and the Commanderie du Bontemps, Bordeaux.

In an effort to bring customers the finest wines available in First and Business Class, American maintains 15 different wine lists, specially selected for various routes. In addition, American, a founding member of the global oneworld® Alliance, changes its wine list regularly and produces an online pamphlet describing in detail each route's selections. For more information and to view the current list of American's award-winning wines, please visit www.aa.com/wine.

About American Airlines
American Airlines is the world's largest airline. American, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection® airlines serve 250 cities in over 40 countries with more than 4,000 daily flights. The combined network fleet numbers more than 1,000 aircraft. American's award-winning Web site, AA.com, provides users with easy access to check and book fares, plus personalized news, information and travel offers. American Airlines is a founding member of the oneworld® Alliance, which brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business, enabling them to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own. Together, its members serve more than 600 destinations in over 135 countries and territories. American Airlines, Inc. and American Eagle Airlines, Inc. are subsidiaries of AMR Corporation. AmericanAirlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection, AA.com and We know why you fly are registered trademarks of American Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: AMR).