Miles Donations Are Providing Flights For Afghan Refugees

By Associated Press
October 26, 2021

A run that began with mean radical donating frequent-flyer miles has raised capable successful 2 months to supply 40,000 flights for refugees from Afghanistan, and organizers and the White House are looking to astir treble that figure.

About 3,200 flights with donated miles person already carried Afghans from impermanent lodging astatine subject bases successful the U.S. to caller homes astir the United States, according to organizers.

Corporations person made fractional of the contributions truthful far, mostly successful tickets donated by airlines.

The run is being organized by Welcome.US and Miles4Migrants, a radical that was founded successful 2016 and uses donated miles and recognition paper points to assistance refugees. The radical saw enactment for refugees fleeing Afghanistan successful August, arsenic the U.S. subject withdrew and turned the state implicit to the Taliban, and began talking to different nonprofits astir helping.

United Airlines has contributed 7,000 flights, and American Airlines donated 6,000. Smaller contributions person travel successful from Delta, JetBlue, Alaska, Frontier, Air Canada, craft shaper Boeing and the Tripadvisor Charitable Foundation, organizers say. 

Individuals person donated capable miles and recognition paper points to screen 20,000 flights, according to the organizers.

The organizers are looking to rise capable further donations to wage for different 30,000 flights. Using donated miles and currency to wage for question volition escaped up authorities exile assistance for lodging and different services, organizers say.

Military planes were utilized to evacuate Afghans from a chaotic country astatine Kabul's main airport. Airlines past carried them from bases successful Europe and the Middle East to the U.S. nether contracts with the national government

Additional reporting by The Associated Press.