American Airlines Underwrites "Rick Steves' Europe"
Every once in a while we enjoy giving you little behind-the-scenes glimpses into the filming of our TV series. Usually this involves our struggles with weather, crowds, red tape, muffed lines and stained shirts. But this month we want to share some very happy behind-the-scenes news: the world's largest airline — American Airlines — has joined the "Back Door Team" as our TV series underwriter. As a viewer, the most obvious change you'll see is a couple of classy-looking messages at the start and end of each show. But most importantly, American's funding will enable us to continue to develop new travel shows during the next two years.
According to Rick, "Great travel experiences are at the core of American Airlines' mission — and ours — so we feel like natural partners. And getting underwriting support from them means more than the success of one travel series. It's also a strong vote of confidence in the value of public broadcasting in our society today. We're very thankful to American Airlines on both counts."
American's support for the shows goes beyond the visibility of its sponsorship messages: "Europe is a great market for us so we are excited to be associated with Rick Steves and the great travel information, insights and tips he provides his viewers," according to Dan Garton, Executive Vice President-Marketing for American. "And we're proud to continue our long-time relationship with public broadcasting and its audience of frequent travelers."
In addition to the current 43 "Rick Steves Europe" episodes, American's sponsorship messages will also appear on 16 "Rick Steves' Classics" TV shows to be re-launched next fall.
For more information on American Airlines and the travel services it offers, visit www.aa.com.