• by Fern Siegel , April 5, 2010

American Airlines is becoming a major Big Apple fan.

The airline has reached an $8 million, two-year agreement with New York to promote the city that never sleeps nationwide. American will serve as NYC & Company's exclusive carrier in an ad campaign that runs through 2012.

The campaign gives NYC & Co. $3.5 million in cash -- increasing marketing efforts by more than 15% -- plus an added $4.5 in advertising support. NYC & Company, the city's tourism, marketing and partnership arm, signed a similar partnership with JetBlue in 2009.

The AA promotional campaign has two parts: a summer and fall domestic marketing campaign and a domestic "roadshow" to several major U.S. cities this fall.

Both AA and JetBlue say they will increase connections between flights to bring more travelers to New York. Starting this summer, American Airlines will add 31 new flights on 13 new routes to and from JFK and LaGuardia by the end of the year.

In addition to partnerships with JetBlue and NYC & Company, American Airlines is also investing more than $30 million in facilities and aircraft fleet at JFK and LaGuardia Airports. Plus, JetBlue is expanding its headquarters in NYC, relocating nearly 1,000 jobs to Queens by 2012 and adding as many as 130.

At a press conference announcing the AA alliance, Mayor Bloomberg said: "Last year, New York City was the nation's No. 1 tourist destination in the U.S. for the first time in 20 years, attracting 45 million visitors. Our $28 billion tourism sector continues to add jobs, generate revenue and enhance the vibrancy of the city."

New York remains the most popular U.S. destination for overseas visitors, with approximately 7.5 million tourists in 2009.

Mayor Bloomberg's goal is to attract 50 million visitors annually by 2012.