Frequent-flyer miles donated for refugees

A campaign that began with people donating frequent-flyer miles has raised enough in two months to provide 40,000 flights for refugees from Afghanistan, and organizers and the White House are looking to nearly double that figure.

About 3,200 flights with donated miles have already carried Afghans from temporary housing at military bases in the U.S. to new homes around the United States, according to organizers.

Corporations have made half the contributions so far, mostly in tickets donated by airlines.

The campaign is being organized by Welcome.US and Miles4Migrants, a group that was founded in 2016 and uses donated miles and credit-card points to help refugees.

“Government resources are limited, and we knew that the American people wanted to support Afghans who were arriving and help them find safe homes,” said the miles group’s co-founder, Andy Freedman. “That’s when we turned to the airlines.”

United Airlines has contributed 7,000 flights and American Airlines donated 6,000

Individuals have donated enough miles and credit card points to cover 20,000 flights, according to the organizers.

“It is incredibly inspiring to see the American people and American companies coming together to welcome our new Afghan neighbors in this way,” said Nazanin Ash, a former State Department official during the Bush and Obama administrations and now the CEO of Welcome.US, a new not-for-profit coalition that is trying to generate private-sector support for arriving Afghans.

The organizers are looking to raise enough donations to pay for 30,000 flights. Using donated miles and cash to pay for travel will free up government refugee aid for housing and other services, organizers say.