American Airlines is offering customers extra miles for traveling from New York to Manchester, England, joining other carriers that are enticing travelers with loyalty-program bonuses.
American said Wednesday that passengers who book roundtrip travel on its new, nonstop flights between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Manchester can earn 5,000 bonus miles in coach or 10,000 bonus miles in business class. The offer covers travel from May 13 to June 30.
Also on Wednesday, Southwest Airlines Co. said it would let frequent fliers earn a free trip twice as fast if they take four roundtrip flights by May 26.
American, Southwest and several other airlines reported that March traffic was higher than a year ago, but the recovery in travel is still fragile, so carriers are offering fare sales and other enticements to keep customers in the air.
Some have also made it easier to use miles. American recently began letting customers redeem miles for one-way travel, not just round trips.
