How Airlines and Hotels Give Back to the Community

In the spirit of the holiday season, it’s time to acknowledge airlines and hotels for how they support the underprivileged and give back to the community.

American Airlines brought more than 1,300 children and spouses of fallen military personnel to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area on December 9th, four four days of all-expense-paid holiday activities, including a private performance at the Mesquite Championship Rodeo, a performance of The Nutcracker by the Metropolitan Classical Ballet, and a day at Six Flags Over Texas.  The program is in conjunction with Snowball Express, a non-profit group established in 2006 to provide fun and friendship to families of military servicemen and women who lost their lives.

American Airlines and USO of Illinois have partnered to open a cyber-canteen for active military members traveling through O’Hare Airport.  The cafe, in Terminal 3, is large enough to accommodate 120 military men and women, and provides free Wi-Fi and refreshments, for traveling military and their families.

Southwest Airlines has teamed with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to give the opportunity of travel to  children who need it most. Each time a Southwest Airlines customer uses  the airline’s Facebook page to check-in for a flight, the airline will donate $1 to the charity, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.  Nearly 70 percent of those wishes include travel to their wish destination, which very often is Disneyland or Disneyworld.  Southwest will donate up to $300,000, one check-in at a time.

The Renaissance Nashiville Hotel is giving back to the community by partnering with the local Second Harvest Food Bank and Feeding America.  The hotel is has a toy drive, inviting both registered guests and Nashville residents to donate toys, which will be given to underprivileged and at-risk children at a party in the hotel on December 18th.

Expedia is supporting Doctors Without Borders with a combination of matching funds donated by Expedia employees and providing travel resources for the medical experts who provide support in war-torn countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in the wake of natural disasters such as the recent earthquake in Haiti and the floods in Pakistan.

Thank you to these airlines and hotels for their community and charity programs.