American Airlines and the Miami HEAT today announced a multiyear sponsorship extension, with American continuing as the Official Airline of the Miami HEAT. As Miami’s hometown airline and the country’s largest gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean, American is continuing its long-term investment in the city through the renewed partnership, which includes experiences for fans, as well as in-arena promotion at basketball games throughout the season at the Kaseya Center.

Through this partnership, American is bringing fans and members of its award-winning AAdvantage^® loyalty program closer to the action with unique game day experiences. AAdvantage^® members will have opportunities to participate in the HEAT Perks sweepstakes program, with chances to win exclusive prizes, giveaways, travel to select away games and VIP experiences with the Miami HEAT throughout the year. Members can also redeem AAdvantage^® miles for access to games and experiences, turning loyalty into memorable moments on and off the court.

Building on more than 25 years of partnership

This sponsorship extension builds on a partnership that spans more than 25 years. Earlier this year American celebrated its centennial, while the Miami HEAT marked the 20th anniversary of the 2006 Miami HEAT Championship team.

As part of the celebration, American served as the Presenting Partner of a commemorative game, receiving in-game and social media recognition and hosting a postgame concert featuring Dwyane Wade. The event included exclusive benefits for 100 AAdvantage^® members, such as priority viewing access, photo opportunities with the 2006 NBA Finals Championship trophy and signed merchandise giveaways.

Commitment to community

American Airlines and the Miami HEAT share a commitment to supporting the South Florida community. Most recently, the organizations have partnered on initiatives, including HEAT Day of Service presented by American, providing fresh groceries to underserved communities and enhancing the gardens and interior of the Overtown Youth Center with Alonzo Mourning, helping inspire, empower and enrich the lives of youth, families and adults in the Overtown community.

Deepening American’s investment in Miami

This sponsorship renewal underscores American’s nearly four-decade commitment to Miami. Earlier this year, the airline announced expansion plans for a brand-new, reimagined Concourse D at Miami International Airport (MIA) in partnership with Miami-Dade County. The new Gate D60 project will deliver gates built for modern aircraft, transform the customer experience and make travel more seamless at the country’s largest gateway to Latin America and the Caribbean.

In 1989, American operated 19 flights a day to six cities from MIA. Today, the airline operates more than 400 peak daily flights to 170 destinations across 46 countries and territories, serving more than 32 million customers annually to and from MIA.

American has also announced plans to open a new, state-of-the-art Flagship^® lounge, along with a major expansion of its Admirals Club^® facilities, at MIA. Over the past year, the airline has installed new self-service kiosks that make check-in faster than ever and implemented technology that has saved thousands of customer connections systemwide.

The airline has made significant progress with its federal partners at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in programs like TSA PreCheck^® Touchless ID and Enhanced Passenger Processing (EPP) that make security screening easier and quicker, while upholding the highest levels of security.

American Airlines made this announcement:

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.

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.”

Photos: American Airlines.