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10/19/2019

American Airlines and Miami HEAT Announce Expanded Partnership

Airline will be the first HEAT partner to be granted use of international sponsorship rights, reaching fans across the globe

Updated October 21, 2019 at 11:15 a.m. CT

MIAMI — Building on their 20-year relationship, American Airlines and the Miami HEAT announced today a multiyear partnership for the airline to serve as the team’s official airline. Additionally, as part of a new NBA program beginning this season allowing teams to designate international sponsorship rights, American has been named as the HEAT’s first international marketing partner.

American Airlines and HEAT team members shoot hoops together in the MIA maintenance hangar.

From left, MIA Chief Pilot Domingo Alfaro, Miami HEAT power forward Udonis Haslem, Liscano, HEAT mascot Burnie, Managing Director of Latin America and Caribbean Sales Christine Valls, and Michael McCullough, Miami HEAT Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer attended the celebration of the announcement.

While previously sponsors were limited to a 75-mile marketing territory, as an international partner American is one of the first NBA team partners to utilize the worldwide rights and connect with HEAT fans around the world. The international program allows teams to include global advertising and marketing rights worldwide; activation at retail locations globally and rights to post non-game team content on the sponsors’ own digital and social media sites. The opportunity to celebrate the passion of HEAT fans, both in Miami and internationally, aligns with American’s place as Miami’s largest international carrier.

Additionally, American will be the presenting partner of the HEAT City Edition uniform campaign. City Edition gave birth to the wildly popular HEAT Vice uniform. Since 2018, the three iterations of the Vice uniform have sold more than all other franchises combined.

“As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of our Miami hub, our expanded partnership with the HEAT is the perfect opportunity to recognize Miami and the major role it plays in connecting our customers to the rest of the world,” said Janelle Anderson, American’s Vice President – Global Marketing. “The Miami HEAT has a proud history of delivering innovative, fan-focused campaigns. American shares this passion and looks forward to collaborating with the HEAT to excite fans in Miami and around the world.”

American’s partnership with the HEAT is all about helping Miami sports fans on life’s journey. The agreement provides the ability for American to share their passion for the HEAT with fellow fans, immersing them in pregame social media, creating gameday experiences and contests that give fans a chance to win travel experiences on American and showing a strong brand presence during HEAT games.

“For two decades, the Miami HEAT and American Airlines have been synonymous with the growth and branding of Miami,” said Eric Woolworth, President of Business Operations at the HEAT Group. “Our naming rights partnership is the longest such deal in the history of professional sports in this region, cementing our commitment not only to each other, but to the entirety of the South Florida community. Like many long-term partnerships, ours continues to evolve and has now expanded into the global marketing space. As this new era begins, everyone at the HEAT is ecstatic to forge ahead working side-by-side with American Airlines.”

American’s commitment to the Miami community has been unmatched over the last 30 years. In 1989, American had just 19 flights a day to six cities from Miami International Airport (MIA). Today, American operates more than 350 flights a day to nearly 130 destinations and carries 30 million people to and from MIA annually. MIA is now the largest international gateway in the American system. The airline is also the largest carrier to provide service to Latin America from MIA.

Most recently, American announced more flights from MIA to Santiago, Chile; Lima, Peru; and São Paulo, Brazil, signifying a growing commitment to the Latin American region. American reaches more than 70 cities across Latin America and the Caribbean with 135 flights — more service than any other carrier to that region of the world. This summer, American expanded its reach by launching new service to Cordoba, Argentina, and Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.

“Along with our 13,500 Miami-based team members, American is committed to investing in the Miami community,” said Juan Carlos Liscano, American Airlines Vice President in Miami. “This partnership with the HEAT, is part of that commitment to bring people throughout the South Florida region and from around the world together.”

About The HEAT Group
The HEAT Group is comprised of the National Basketball Association’s Miami HEAT and the 19,600-seat AmericanAirlines Arena. The HEAT is a three-time NBA Champion having won titles in 2006, 2012 and 2013 and is a celebrated leader in every discipline of the business of basketball. AmericanAirlines Arena, home of the HEAT, is a LEED Gold Recertified, award-winning, state-of-the-art facility, which hosts over 150 events per year. AmericanAirlines Arena has maintained its position as the #1 Arena in Florida for the fourth consecutive year, has claimed the #11 spot in the United States, and has placed #22 in the world according to Pollstar’s 2018 year-end rankings of the world’s top arenas. The Arena is located on the waterfront in the thriving arts and entertainment district in downtown Miami. For more information, please visit HEAT.com and AAArena.com.

About American Airlines Group
American Airlines offers customers 6,800 daily flights to more than 365 destinations in 61 countries from its hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. With a shared purpose of caring for people on life's journey, American's 130,000 global team members serve more than 200 million customers annually. Since 2013, American has invested more than $28 billion in its product and people and now flies the youngest fleet among U.S. network carriers, equipped with industry-leading high-speed Wi-Fi, lie-flat seats, and more inflight entertainment and access to power. American also has enhanced food and beverage options in the air and on the ground in its world-class Admirals Club and Flagship lounges. American was recently named a Five Star Global Airline by the Airline Passenger Experience Association and Airline of the Year by Air Transport World. American is a founding member of oneworld®, whose members serve 1,100 destinations in 180 countries and territories. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL and the company's stock is included in the S&P 500. Learn more about what's happening at American by visiting news.aa.com and connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines.

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