American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia Announce New Service as Part of Trilateral Relationship

FORT WORTH, Texas, Oct. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Earlier today the CEOs of American Airlines, British Airways, and Iberia met in London to announce the official start of their Joint Business between North America and Europe. This new relationship will enable oneworld® to compete far more effectively with other global alliances on routes between Europe and North America, providing more competitive fares, more choices of flight times, and easier connections.

American, British Airways and Iberia also announced four new routes beginning next Spring as a benefit of the new joint business. They are: New York JFK-Budapest and Chicago-Helsinki (operated by American Airlines), London Heathrow-San Diego (operated by British Airways) and Madrid-Los Angeles (operated by Iberia). American will also add additional frequencies from JFK to Barcelona and Miami to Madrid. Both also begin in Spring 2011.

American and its partners, British Airways and Iberia, are pleased to have support from the cities gaining new service:

Chicago

"This is exciting news," said Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. "American is to be congratulated for starting service to another European capital from Chicago O'Hare. This new service will provide a valuable link to the Scandinavian countries for the business and leisure traveler."

Los Angeles

"I am excited to say 'Bienvenidos' to oneworld alliance partner Iberia Airlines starting four-times-per-week service between Los Angeles International Airport and Madrid. Each international flight brings jobs and economic activity to the region, and this new flight will connect us to one of the world's most exciting cities," said Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa.

Miami

"We are very excited that American Airlines continues to grow their operations in Miami as evidenced by today's announcement that they will be starting a second daily flight between Miami and Madrid," said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez. "The cultural, business and tourism ties between our cities are strong and this second flight will further strengthen these valuable relationships."

New York

"American Airlines expanded service from John F. Kennedy International Airport and its continued investment in New York City are the latest examples of the private sector's confidence in our City's future," said New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. "Our growing tourism industry is one of the reasons 10 percent of the jobs created in U.S. this year are in New York City. We expect to attract more than 47 million visitors to New York City this year, and through its multi-year partnership with NYC & Company and the launch of its new flights from JFK to Budapest and Barcelona, American Airlines will help us grow even further and achieve our goal to welcome 50 million visitors annually by 2012."

San Diego

"We are very excited to learn that British Airways will be launching new service from London Heathrow to San Diego," said San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders. "This flight will be a boon to those who want to travel to the United Kingdom and will offer a unique opportunity for those residents of the United Kingdom who want to visit sunny California."

Customers can now travel more easily on all three of the partner airlines' combined route network to more than 400 destinations in 105 countries with nearly 5,200 daily departures, allowing customers access to a broader network with greater convenience through coordinated schedules and combined tickets. There will also be an increased opportunity to earn and redeem frequent flyer benefits on trans-Atlantic flights and more integrated account management for corporate customers.

For additional information about American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia's Joint Business, visit www.aa.com.

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The address is http://www.aa.com

SOURCE American Airlines