American Airlines, Clooney star in upcoming holiday movie

Imagine flying on American Airlines and your seatmate is George Clooney.

That is sort of the premise of a movie coming out this holiday season, Up in the Air, which showcases not only People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive of 2006, but also the Fort Worth-based carrier.

In the movie, Clooney plays a corporate consultant hired by companies to lay off employees. As he jets around the country to fire people, he also tries to reach his personal goal of accruing 10 million frequent flier miles in American’s AAdvantage program.

For American, the movie shows off its planes and Admiral Clubs. The marketing partnership also includes an online auction the airline is running for its AAdvantage members.

The auction, which runs until Jan. 5, lets AAdvantage members use their miles to bid on travel packages, elite member benefits and a suite for 12 at a professional sports event at the American Airlines Center in Dallas or the American Airlines Arena in Miami. All the miles used for winning bids will be donated to the Miles for Kids in Need program.

American has not disclosed how much the marketing partnership cost the airline, but if Up in the Air becomes a holiday hit, it could translate into millions of moviegoers seeing a favorable view of American Airlines on the big screen.

Interview threads

Students at the University of Texas at Arlington who can’t afford business attire for interviews will soon have a campus-grown resource: Project Success, a student organization.

Project Success is seeking donated clothing and money for dry cleaning. Mission Arlington has agreed to keep the clothing in a dedicated area of its downtown offices, within walking distance of the university. Students could obtain one outfit in exchange for 10 hours of service to Mission Arlington, said Cheri Butler, associate director of UTA Career Services, who began noodling the idea when she took her job nearly six years ago.

"We have an incredibly high percentage of first-generation college students" at UTA, said Butler, adviser to Project Success. When it comes time for many students to trek out on interviews, "there isn’t a lot of money there" for professional clothing.

Butler began circulating the idea around the university years ago, but it never got off the ground. Finally, Dennis Veit, a business instructor, suggested forming a student organization.

Then a writing class agreed to take the group on as a project, creating a logo and fliers. The group is now seeking 501(c)3 nonprofit status, said Butler, whose boss agreed to fund the $300 cost out of the department’s budget.

Some potential donors already have surfaced, Butler said. Students might be able to begin using the Mission Arlington store by Christmas, or early next year.

"We need to get clothing first, and then [monetary] donations," she said. Information: cherib@uta.edu.

Camp Bowie codes

The board of the Camp Bowie District is working on design standards for the 9-mile stretch of Camp Bowie Boulevard from University Drive to Loop 820.

The district has hired Gateway Planning Group in Fort Worth to create form-based codes, an alternative form of zoning that emphasizes building form and street design rather than traditional land-use standards, said Brandy O’Quinn, whose company, Urban Strategies of Texas, is consulting on the project. O’Quinn recently stepped down as Camp Bowie District’s president.

Gateway Planning is hosting meetings with Camp Bowie Boulevard property owners, with meetings scheduled into December, O’Quinn said. In January, a two-day design workshop is planned. A report, once approved by the property owners, should be sent to the City Council by July for approval, she said.

Form-based codes allow for more flexible land uses, O’Quinn said.

"It’s their code," O’Quinn said. "These are things property owners are hoping to do but cannot. One of the best advantages is the codes decrease time at the city. The developer knows what is expected and allowed for their property."

The presidents of the neighborhood associations along Camp Bowie Boulevard will also participate.

Fort Worth South has implemented form-based codes for the Medical District, and Trinity River Vision has a similar program in place once development begins on the near north side for that project.

Sandra Baker, 817-390-7727 sabaker@star-telegram.com Scott Nishimura, 817-390-7808 snishimura@star-telegram.com Barry Shlachter, 817-390-7718 barry@star-telegram.com

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