On May 8th, American Airlines announced that it had partnered with Hyatt to give front line healthcare workers free vacations to thank them for their work. Thousands of New York-area employees will receive complimentary three-night holidays.

Honoring healthcare workers

Thousands of healthcare workers from NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst will receive three-night complimentary vacations. According to American Airlines, the vacations are designed to help these front line workers "recharge and reconnect with their loved ones, once they are able to take time for themselves."

Over 4,000 professionals, including physicians, physician assistants, nurses, food service specialists, facilities specialists, and food service teams, amongst other professionals, will receive these holidays. The package includes roundtrip flights on American Airlines. Those who receive vacations will get to visit Hyatt hotels in select destinations in the US and the Caribbean. There, these professionals can relax with a variety of different experiences, outdoor activities, and more.

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American and JetBlue will need to be transparent with the DOT. Photo: Getty Images.

NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst serves a population of nearly one million people in the New York-area. The hospital has, unfortunately, seen some of the worst of the current crisis and had to increase its Intensive Care Unit (ICU) capacity by 500%.

American's President, Robert Isom, offered the following statement:

"Every worker at Elmhurst has seen and experienced challenges many of us cannot imagine. They’ve given so much of themselves and chose to serve their community with care, compassion and equity for every patient. When they are able to take a break, we hope the time away will help them and their loved ones recharge and that they feel our deepest appreciation for their sacrifice and heroism."

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The Business Extra program would reward both frequent and infrequent business flyers. Photo: Getty Images

How you can get involved

Both the AAdvantage and World of Hyatt loyalty programs are also encouraging its respective members to get involved. American and Hyatt are taking donations of points and miles to support this offering. This will be the largest total flight count ever that American has provided to an organization.

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The move comes as the carrier is working to improve its balance sheet. Photo: Getty Images

Showing an appreciation for healthcare workers

Airlines are showing their appreciation for healthcare workers. JetBlue honored healthcare workers with a flypast around New York City. In addition, Delta, JetBlue, and United flew healthcare workers for free to hard-hit areas. Now, American is giving these professionals a chance to get away and relax.

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American's preflight testing program is concentrated around Hawaii and the Caribbean, and Central America. Photo: Getty Images

Taking care of patients in the hardest-hit city in the United States is far from easy. This move is designed to give employees a chance to rejuvenate. While it is unclear when these professionals will be able to take this vacation, American has indicated that it will work with healthcare employees to make things happen. This also will likely depend on when American will resume more flights out of New York. Currently, the airline is operating a bare minimum of flights from the most populous city in the United States.

American has also assisted efforts in other ways. The airline is donating meals, using Admirals Clubs to make masks, and transporting cargo as needed.

Do you think other airlines should offer similar promotions to healthcare workers? Are you a healthcare worker that will receive a vacation? Let us know in the comments!

Simple Flying reached out to American Airlines for additional details. However, the airline was immediately unavailable for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.