FORT WORTH, Texas, July 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Airlines Education Foundation today is awarding $560,000 to 210 children of employees.  Each recipient will receive a $2,500 scholarship and first generation college students will each receive an additional one-time award of $1,000. Scholarship recipients will be honored at a reception at the George Bush Institute in Dallas.

"Awarding these scholarships is one of the most impactful things we do for employees and their families," said Elise Eberwein, executive vice president – People and Communications.  "We are invested in the education of our American Airlines colleagues and their families, and the scholarship reception is such a fun event because we get to see firsthand just how bright the future is for our company, our industry and the world at large."

"We are very thankful to receive the scholarships as college funding has taken a tremendous amount of planning for us," said David Yienger, an application development team lead for aa.com and the father of quadruplets, all of whom are receiving a scholarship this year.

David's kids -- Teresa, Patrick, Christopher and Maria Yienger -- will all be attending Southern Methodist University (SMU) in the fall. 

The application process is competitive and scholarships are awarded based on financial need, academic achievement, extracurricular involvement and commitment to community service and volunteerism. The Education Foundation received more than 500 applications. A team of 80 reviewers comprised of educational and business professionals scored the applications.

The foundation is a 501(c)(3) and is an expansion of the former US Airways Education Foundation, which has awarded $5 million in competitive scholarships since 1999. Donations from American's vendors and employees fund the foundation. For more information on the foundation and American's commitment to education, visit aa.com/scholarships.

About American Airlines Group

American Airlines Group (NASDAQ: AAL) is the holding company for American Airlines and US Airways. Together with regional partners, operating as American Eagle and US Airways Express, the airlines operate an average of nearly 6,700 flights per day to nearly 350 destinations in more than 50 countries. American is a founding member of the oneworld alliance, whose members and members-elect serve nearly 1,000 destinations with 14,250 daily flights to 150 countries. This year American topped Fortune Magazine's list of best business turnarounds and its stock joined the S&P 500 index. Connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines.

SOURCE American Airlines