Cold Spring Pictures

DALLAS - George Clooney's next film features American Airlines as a co-star.

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity," said Billy Saenz, American's corporate communications director. "American Airlines is so integrated around the movie because the main character travels so much. It's extremely unique. It's almost like a car in a road trip film; it's almost a character."

Sixteen airline employees - including pilots, flight attendants and management personnel - were cast as extras in the film titled Up in the Air.

Clooney stars as a corporate consultant who's trying to earn $10 million worth of AAdvantage frequent flier miles on American as he crisscrosses the Midwest helping companies downsize. It's a dramatic comedy directed by Jason Reitman, who also directed Thank You For Smoking and Juno.

Though a night skyline shot of Dallas appears in the trailer, Saenz said the filming took place in Omaha, St. Louis, Las Vegas and Miami back in March. In addition to American's Admiral's Clubs being used, the airline also contributed one of its Boeing 757s and an American Eagle aircraft.

The Fort Worth-based carrier has undertaken many film and television shows throughout the years, but Saenz said this is the biggest yet.

"This one was extremely unique," he said. "It's just the amount of integration we have ... When we first read the script, there were a lot of key things we saw that seemed to be real."

The association with Clooney was good, too.

"We always look for unique ways to do promotion and brand building; this seemed like a good opportunity in our situation," Saenz said.

American will not make any money from the Paramount Pictures film, but the airline's branding in the movie is priceless.

"Our value is to be able to be in the movie," Saenz said.

Up in the Air premieres in Los Angeles on November 30 and opens in Dallas on December 4.

E-mail jwhitely@wfaa.com