On Dec. 13, American Airlines named Kurt Stache as its Vice President and General Sales Manager. Stache will be responsible for all of American's sales activities worldwide with sales organizations throughout American's network reporting to him.

Stache, who has been with American since 1995, served most recently as President - AAdvantage Marketing Programs, a position he held since 2004. AAdvantage was the world's first frequent flyer program and today is the world's largest.

"Kurt brings a wealth of airline experience to our global sales organization," said Dan Garton, American's Executive Vice President - Marketing, to whom Stache will report. "His background, business acumen and people skills these past 12 years at American made him the clear-cut choice for the job."

Prior to his AAdvantage position, Stache was Managing Director - International Revenue Management, responsible for pricing and yield management for American's international markets worldwide. He also served in several positions in American's sales and finance groups, including Manager - Airline Profitability.

Stache speaks three languages, including German and Spanish. He lived and worked in Central America and Europe prior to joining American. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Santa Clara University in California and holds an MBA degree from Harvard Business School.

Stache, his wife and children reside in Colleyville, Texas.