Miles4Migrants
You know me, and know that I’m not based in Maine. Still in San Diego! But I had to share this story because Maine is the location that truly matters here.
I recently signed up to donate my unused American Airline miles through a program called Miles4Migrants (check them out, they’re amazing: https://miles4migrants.org/). Basically, what they do is they use people’s airline miles to get flights for refugees either into the U.S. or get them to their final destination in the U.S. once they’re cleared at the border. It’s not fair that someone in a desperate situation could be denied a chance at a safer life for themselves and their families simply because they can’t afford a flight, but too often that’s the case. Many migrants are still being forced to travel through Mexico to seek political asylum at the border – and even if they are cleared, they’re basically given a bus ticket that can’t get them anywhere near where they need to go to reunite with any family they have in the U.S., and they’re kind of own their own from there.
I was feeling pretty down about the state of the world (and to be honest, angry at American Airlines for some flight delays I had experienced) so I signed up and pledged my remaining AA miles not knowing whether my miles could be of any help. I mean, it was 10,000 miles. What can that get anyone?
But I was very surprised when just a few weeks later, I got a call from Miles4Migrants saying that they had a young man who had just been cleared for asylum at the border after a harrowing journey through Mexico and central America, and needed to get to his family in Maine. They had also found a flight that could get him where he needed to go for less than 10,000 AA miles. They gave me the details I needed to book a flight for him that would depart the next day, and I quickly did so.
He made it safely to his family after a few flight delays (because it is American Airlines, after all), and is hopefully settling into a new life here.
I hope this serves as some new #ForBlake good deed inspiration. Thinking of you guys!
One thought on “Miles4Migrants”
Sarah! Love this story – thank you so much for sharing and thinking of Blake!!! How special for the gentlemen you helped, and heartwarming that your donation was probably the most relief he had on his journey. So cool 🙂