American Airlines Announces Cooperative Agreement with Air Berlin

FORT WORTH, Texas, July 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- American Airlines today announced that it has signed an agreement with Air Berlin outlining a comprehensive codeshare and frequent flyer relationship that will allow customers of each airline to book and travel on the other's network and earn frequent flyer miles as well.  American and Air Berlin expect to implement the codeshare as soon as all government approvals are received.

The codeshare agreement with Air Berlin, the second largest carrier in Germany and the fifth largest in Europe, not only adds more cities to American's network throughout Europe, but will also offer customers a smoother, more convenient travel experience.  American, a founding member of the oneworld® alliance, currently serves Germany with service to Frankfurt from its Dallas/Fort Worth and Chicago gateways.  With hubs in Berlin and Dusseldorf, Air Berlin offers service to more than 160 cities in Europe, Russia and the Middle East as well as to six cities in North America – New York, Miami,  Los Angeles, San Francisco, Fort Myers, Fla., and Vancouver.

Air Berlin's flights to the U.S. will connect to one of the most robust networks in the Americas, where American and American Eagle serve nearly 250 cities.  From New York's John F. Kennedy (JFK) gateway, American offers nonstop service to 56 cities.  From its Miami hub, American offers unsurpassed service to 30 cities in Mexico, Central and South America, the most of any airline, is the leading carrier to the Caribbean serving 23 island destinations, and offers service to six destinations in the Bahamas.  From its Los Angeles hub American serves 31 cities, including four Hawaiian destinations.

Additionally, the agreement allows customers traveling on codeshare flights to earn mileage credits in American's AAdvantage® or Air Berlin's topbonus frequent flyer programs.  American and Air Berlin are exploring a more comprehensive agreement that would include mileage redemption in addition to accrual across each carrier's networks.

"We're very pleased to announce this partnership with Germany's second largest airline, Air Berlin, which has established itself as a highly respected European airline over the last two decades.  This relationship will add significant value for our customers by substantially growing our worldwide network," said Gerard Arpey, American's CEO.  "It gives our customers wide access to Germany, Europe's biggest economy, as well as many other business and leisure destinations. And their U.S. service complements three of our strategic cornerstone markets – New York, Miami, and Los Angeles."

Joachim Hunold, CEO of Air Berlin said, "We at Air Berlin are very pleased about establishing our bilateral cooperation with American Airlines starting in the winter season of  2010/2011. We have agreed with our friends from American that we will link our hubs on both sides of the Atlantic, and that we will enter into an extensive codeshare relationship, covering all our flights over the North Atlantic and flights to selected destinations in the US and in Europe."

About American Airlines

American Airlines, American Eagle and AmericanConnection® serve 250 cities in 40 countries with, on average, more than 3,400 daily flights. The combined network fleet numbers more than 900 aircraft. American's award-winning website, AA.com®, provides users with easy access to check and book fares, plus personalized news, information and travel offers. American Airlines is a founding member of the oneworld® Alliance, which brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business, enabling them to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own. Together, its members serve nearly 700 destinations in more than 130 countries and territories. American Airlines, Inc. and American Eagle Airlines, Inc. are subsidiaries of AMR Corporation. AmericanAirlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection, AA.com, We know why you fly and AAdvantage are registered trademarks of American Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: AMR)

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SOURCE American Airlines