market. Since then, the company has put on thousands of flights and served tens of thousands of passengers.

Pan American, one of the Island's first carriers, had been flying to the Island since the late 1930s. In 1975, Pan Am and American agreed to orchestrate an airline route swap, whereby American would service Bermuda and other Caribbean destinations and Pan Am would service Hawaii and certain Pacific destinations.

The Caribbean division, which includes Bermuda, Miami, Latin America and the Caribbean, was headed up by senior vice president of American Airlines, Peter Dolara. Bermuda became a major player in the Caribbean market.

Liaising closely with Bermuda, Mr. Dolara was instrumental in getting the Raleigh/Durham flight off the ground 11 years ago, noted Mrs. DeCouto.

The first general manager to head up the Bermuda offices was John Neilson, who worked until his retirement in 1985. He has since moved to Florida, where he lives with his wife, recalled AA Bermuda general manager, Carole DeCouto.

American, Mr. Chris Warner, took over from Mr. Neilson until he was given another assignment two years later. He then moved to Lake Tahoe and Reno before going to the Cayman Islands, where he headed up the American offices.

Mrs. DeCouto, who has worked for American Airlines since its inception in Bermuda, became the general manager in November, 1988. Originally from Quebec, Mrs. DeCouto, who worked in American's reservations department for more than a decade followed by a year in passenger service before being promoted to general manager, came to Bermuda in 1970.

"I met my (Bermudian) husband the year I arrived in Bermuda and we married in 1972,'' she said, adding that the couple has two sons. She noted that a high percentage of American's employees have been with the airline since it first came to Bermuda, not including those who have retired.

When American started in Bermuda, it flew to two destinations including Boston and New York. From 1975 to 1989, the airline flew mostly to Boston and New York, but for short periods, it also serviced Newark, Philadelphia and Chicago, said Mrs. DeCouto.

The Raleigh/Durham route was added to American Airline's agenda in 1989 and lasted until 1994.