I did an Internship with American Airlines at the Flight Training Department in Dallas, in the Fall of 1996.
I was so poor that I slept in a sleeping bag on the floor of a furniture-less apartment the entire length of my internship. Yes, that is pretty miserable, but I do not regret a thing! It was worth it!
I loved it, It was the highlight of my aviation college degree! Their operation is amazing, and world class.
Everyday, I see the Interns doing useless paperwork in the crew room of my regional airline. Me, I used to fly the b757/767/727/md80/dc10 simulators all the time, I Jumpseated on every equipment they had, they even got me a one-on-one special tour the 777 assembly line in Seattle. I got to learn all about international operations and even F100 systems....FMS...etc....
When I finished my Internship, they gave me and my parents a few international first class round trip tickets.
Sure, American did not get me a job flying an RJ, but having their name on my resume is priceless for me!