FORT WORTH, Texas, February 1, 2006 — American Airlines (NYSE: AMR) today announced it has signed a strategic technology agreement with Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) to provide Admirals Club® members with access to new Lenovo PCs to further enhance the overall travel experience with the world’s largest airline.
By providing leading-edge PC technology at its Admirals Club lounges worldwide, American aims to create the ultimate business experience for its customers who need to access the home or office while traveling.
Today, technology devices and services are a critical component in the airport lounge environment for business travelers. Within their mobile workstyle/lifestyle, the airport lounge is a place where “refresh and recharge” refers to e-mail and portable devices as much it does to the travelers themselves.
The Lenovo agreement with American forms a strong alliance between leaders within their respective industries, giving business travelers access to top-flight PCs and workstyle/lifestyle services in a setting that fosters comfort, convenience and personal productivity.
American seeks to leverage Lenovo’s high quality products and strong brand reputation in China as it starts operation between Shanghai and the United States on April 2, 2006. For Lenovo, the newly formed relationship will help the company establish stronger visibility in the U.S. marketplace by leveraging access to Admirals Club members who use the Admirals Club products and services regularly.
Through the agreement, new Lenovo ThinkCentre desktop computers, along with ThinkVision flat panel displays, will be installed in all 43 Admirals Club lounges. In addition, Lenovo ThinkPad Z60 notebooks and Thinkpad X41 Tablet PCs will be available in Admirals Club lounges worldwide. IBM will provide deployment services, including the loading of software, testing, staging and installation of the PCs and IBM printers.
“We’re pleased to work with Lenovo and IBM to update our Admirals Club technology and enhance our members’ experience,” said Nancy Knipp, Managing Director of Premium Services for American. “We recognize that being productive means being connected while on the go and being in-touch and productive is a critical consideration for our business travelers.” Knipp further added that the product placement was the latest in a series of revenue-generation initiatives undertaken for the Admirals Club lounge.
“Lenovo is proud to be chosen as the technology provider for American’s Admirals Club lounges around the world,” said Scott Smith, Vice President and General Manager, Lenovo Americas. “Our goal as a technology supplier is to provide our customers with innovation and value, and as American expands its services with more international flights, this partnership reflects how our two companies are focused on delivering the best global customer service possible.”
“As IBM is committed to helping the U.S. airline industry, we are bringing creative approaches to our clients,” says Julia Arnette, Vice President of IT Services, IBM. “IBM and American have been working together for many years. We brought Lenovo into this project as a strategic approach because the new alliance will provide mutual benefit, leveraging each brand in the global marketplace.”
The newly formed relationship with Lenovo, the world’s third largest personal computing company, represents the largest product placement to date in Admirals Club lounges, and continues American’s strategy of enhancing the members’ experience while contributing to the bottom line.
Installation will begin in the first quarter of 2006, with joint marketing and promotional activities to follow.
About American Airlines American Airlines is the world’s largest airline. American, American Eagle and AmericanConnection® serve 250 cities in over 40 countries with more than 3,900 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 oneworldsm 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 AAdvantage are registered trademarks of American Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: AMR)
About Lenovo Group Ltd. Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is dedicated to building the world’s most innovative personal computers. Lenovo’s business model is built on innovation, operational efficiency and customer satisfaction as well as a focus on investment in emerging markets. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable high-quality, secure, and easy-to-use technology products and services worldwide. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information, see www.lenovo.com .
About IBM services IBM is the world’s largest information technology services and consulting provider. Some 190,000 professionals in more than 160 countries help clients integrate information technology with business value — from the business transformation and industry expertise of IBM Business Consulting Services to hosting, infrastructure, technology design and training services. IBM services business delivers integrated, flexible and resilient processes across companies and through business partners, enabling clients to save money and transform their businesses to be more competitive. For more information, visit www.ibm.com/services .
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