Kindal Heinrich’s practice focuses on transactional matters, including counseling airlines through the life cycle of commercial contracts governing a wide range of subject matter—from strategic aircraft sales to brand promotion to outsourcing of critical business processes. Proactive and business-minded, she grasps the commercial implications of each matter and offers practical guidance that supports both immediate and long-term objectives. She is a straightforward communicator who excels at meeting clients’ needs efficiently and translating legal and business risks into insights that equip stakeholders to make decisions with confidence. 

Kindal brings in-house secondment experience with a Fortune 100 airline, where she advised on high-value loyalty partnerships driving ancillary revenue, negotiated distribution agreements for hotel and rental car inventory, and supported innovative creator and influencer-based marketing campaigns. 

Prior to joining Winstead, Kindal was Corporate Counsel at AZZ Inc. (NYSE: AZZ), a leading manufacturing company with 60 locations in eight countries, where she served as a highly visible point of contact for senior leadership, sales teams and operations personnel.

Kindal is a native Texan who enjoys eating tacos, running (slowly) with her dogs and listening to the Grateful Dead, not necessarily in that order.

Representative Experience

Commercial Transactions & Outsourcing

• Represented a global U.S. airline in negotiation of loyalty program agreements that provide for strategic loyalty program collaboration, including cross-program loyalty currency accrual opportunities, status matching opportunities, and limited time offers
• Advised global U.S. airline in amending a content integration and interactive software license agreement with a major supplier of in-flight entertainment equipment, including music, on-demand video content, in-flight shopping, video games, and GPS flight location display 
• Drafted and negotiated a variety of consulting services agreements with leading consultants in a variety of subject matter areas, including health and welfare benefits, recruiting, hiring and employee development, leadership and sensitivity training
• Drafted various agreements for human resources functions and the outsourcing of business processes, including staff augmentation, personnel management (recruiting, hiring and employee development), employee care coordinators and assistance programs
• Negotiated a software services agreement with Rainmaker Business Technologies, which provides airline crew pay calculation tools
• Represented two global U.S. airlines in the negotiation of co-promotion agreements for travel insurance products with Allianz
• Negotiated a services agreement with Handcrafted Learning for the creation and provision of employee trainings using digital tools and instructor-led experiences

Marketing

• Represented a global U.S. airline in the development and review of influencer-focused brand-promotion campaigns, including campaigns that drive customer engagement through digital assets and “spots” featured on in-flight entertainment systems and social channels such as YouTube
• Represented a global U.S. airline in the negotiation of agreements with creators, influencers, and advertising agencies in connection with such airline’s marketing campaigns targeting a new generation of passengers
• Advised multiple commercial airlines on strategic partnerships and co-branding arrangements with credit card companies
• Created marketing agreement template for a public charter operator that provides “hop-on jet service”, which was used to contract with agencies that deliver interactive brand activations tailored the operator’s passengers

Premium Passenger Services

• Represented a global U.S. airline in drafting and negotiation of lounge agreements to provide access to the airline’s premium lounges to other airlines, and to allow such airline’s passengers to access lounges operated by third party lounge operators
• Represented a global U.S. airline in negotiation of agreements for lounge access with other airlines, including Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, GOL Airlines, Iberia, Japan Airlines, and Qatar Airways
• Representation of global U.S. airline in negotiation of agreements for lounge access with third-party lounge operators, including Aena, Dan Hotels, Plaza Premium Group, TAV Primeclass, and Swissport

Pilot Recruitment and Training

• Represented a global U.S. airline in negotiation of flight school loan program agreement with Discover Student Loans
• Represented a global U.S. airline in negotiation of flight school loan program agreement with the American Airlines Credit Union
• Represented a global U.S. airline in negotiation of agreements with flight schools and universities participating in airline’s pilot recruitment program
• Represented a global U.S. airline in the negotiation of a grant agreement with a flight school for funds allocated for the acquisition of assets used in flight training, including flight simulators and safety equipment

Fleet Transactions

• Represented a global U.S. airline in its assumption of mortgage financings in 2023 to acquire 4 ERJ175 regional aircraft, as well as assumption of OEM warranties for subject airframes and engines
• Represented a global U.S. airline in Aircraft sale agreements covering the disposition of over 100 aircraft
• Represented a global U.S. airline in development and negotiation of master airframe sales agreement with a leader in aftermarket aviation services