American Airlines

Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

• Next week, Coco Rocha will take over the website and social media channels of Sass & Bide, where she'll share self-styled looks as well as pictures shot with her own camera. [Vogue UK]
• Vivienne Westwood lent the English National Ballet some of her most dramatic gowns for dancers to wear in its new ad campaign. [WWD]
• Not to be outdone by Virgin Airlines' partnership with Banana Republic, American Airlines has enlisted Kaufman Franco to design uniforms for its entire staff. [Styleite]
• Bernard Arnault has moved the bulk of his fortune from France to a private foundation based in Belgium in an attempt to prevent LVMH from breaking up if he dies in the next 10 years. [The Financial Times]
• In time for Valentine's Day, Fleur du Mal is offering custom monogrammed lingerie. [Fashionologie Inbox]
• In a cease-and-desist letter, PETA has asked Bebe to uphold its 2008 decision to stop selling fur. The animal rights organization claims the brand still sells items that include animal skins. [Fashionista]
• Henry Holland says his casual attitude toward his Twitter account aligns with his brand's desire to be "open, inclusive, and something people want to buy into." [Refinery29]
• With Fashion Week right around the corner, Fern Mallis revisits how falling plaster helped the industry organize its shows. [ArtInfo]

Photo via Sass & Bide

Imagine having access to a pass that lets you fly as much as you want. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, that's the reality for the lucky few who own AAirpass, a pass that gets them an unlimited lifetime access to first-class trips on American Airlines.

The lifestyle of these privileged AAirpass holders was recently featured in an LA Times feature over the weekend. Apparently, American Airlines is losing millions of dollars from some of the heavy users of the AAirpass program. The firm decided to find ways to cancel some of their memberships and allegedly used dirty tactics such as bribery and extortion.

The program was started in 1981 as a way for the airline to raise money for expansion. Each pass started out costing $250,000 and came with the option of purchasing an additional companion pass for an extra $150,000. Of course, the price rose throughout the years, and the airline finally retired the program in 1994. However, it did make one last appearance in 2004 in a Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog for $3 million.

Here's what it's like to hold one of these passes:

"He was airborne almost every other day. If a friend mentioned a new exhibit at the Louvre, Rothstein thought nothing of jetting from his Chicago home to San Francisco to pick her up and then fly to Paris together.

In July 2004, for example, Rothstein flew 18 times, visiting Nova Scotia, New York, Miami, London, Los Angeles, Maine, Denver and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., some of them several times over. The complexity of such itineraries would stump most travelers; happily for AAirpass holders, American provided elite agents able to solve the toughest booking puzzles."

It sounds like a dream to be able to fly to any country you want on a whim — where would you travel if you had one of these passes?

There's always a feeling of confusion when a major retailer goes bust, but what we really want to know is what it means for us and how we'll be affected. American Airlines announced it was filing for bankruptcy this morning, which leaves loyal customers wondering what's going to happen to their miles and if it's going to be harder to book a flight with them. Here's a quick roundup of burning questions you might have:

Will American Airlines go out of business and stop flying?

When a company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it doesn't mean it's going to close shop and disappear. It just means the airline gets time off from creditors to do some financial reorganization. Chapter 7 bankruptcy, on the other hand, would mean that business would close. American Airlines has not filed for that, and there seems to be no plans to do so. Airlines such as Delta, Continental, and United have all filed for bankruptcy and are now stronger for it after taking the time needed during the bankruptcy period to put their books in order.

Can I still use my miles?

Yes, the airline says that the frequent flier program will not be affected, and you'll be able to redeem and use your miles. In the past, airlines that have gone bust, such as Pan Am and Eastern, transferred miles to the airlines that purchased some of their assets.

What's going to happen to my flight?

You don't have to worry about the tickets you currently hold, according to Rick Seaney, the CEO of FareCompare, a company that helps customers find air travel deals online. “Tickets won’t be an issue because of the kind of bankruptcy they’re filing,” Rick tells Time. The airline has also said it will continue to honor tickets and reservations.

Read on to learn how you should manage your miles.

• The Pogoplug is a neat gizmo that allows you to share movies, music, or photos using four USB drives — Gizmodo
• The BlackBerry Curve 8530 is now available from Verizon — RIMarkable
• American Airlines has just launched a widget that will let you know if your plane has WiFi — Engadget
• Check out the ultimate holiday smartphone buying guide — CrunchGear
• Vive la France! Twitter is now available in French — TechCrunch
• Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom for the Wii is a great game for kids ages 3 to 6 — USA Today

Looking forward to Bravo's Top Chef 6, Food Network's The Next Iron Chef, and the rest of Fall's food-focused lineup? Then there's one more show to TiVo. On Oct. 17, Gourmet magazine will debut a series on public television entitled Gourmet's Adventures With Ruth. On the half-hour show, editor Ruth Reichl travels the world visiting cooking schools with the likes of Frances McDormand and Lorraine Bracco. Gourmet's Adventures With Ruth will also air on Gourmet's TiVo channel, as well as the American Airlines in-flight television channel. At least 10 episodes will be backed by the airlines, whose sponsorship includes branding spots, ad pages in the magazine, and a presence on the website.

As Ruth Reichl's number-one fan, I can't wait to see this show — although I'm curious to know how different the point of view will be from its predecessor, Diary of a Foodie. Will you watch Ruth Reichl eat her way around the globe?