American Airlines and Japan Airlines Thank U.S. Department of Transportation on Final Order Allowing Antitrust Immunity

FORT WORTH, Texas and TOKYO, Nov. 10, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- American Airlines and Japan Airlines, members of the oneworld® Alliance, today thanked officials with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for granting final approval to their joint request for antitrust immunity and plans for a joint business between North America and Asia.

"We appreciate the thorough review that DOT has given our request for antitrust immunity that will allow us to move forward with our joint business," said Tom Horton, President of American Airlines. "We also look forward to officials from the United States government and the government of Japan signing an Open Skies agreement, which will allow for additional flights between the United States to Japan."

"This final U.S. government approval, following the recent grant by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, clears all regulatory procedures necessary for Japan Airlines and American Airlines to begin working on our joint business," said Masaru Onishi, President of Japan Airlines. "We would like to express our gratitude to everyone involved in making this positive decision, and will from hence, move expeditiously towards creating more benefits for our passengers, our companies, our financial supporters and our countries."

Both airlines anticipate launching their trans-Pacific joint business in early 2011. It will provide enhanced travel options and experiences for passengers of both American Airlines and Japan Airlines.

American plans to start its new nonstop daily service between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Tokyo's Haneda International Airport on Jan. 20, 2011. Japan Airlines began service from Haneda to San Francisco in late October. Both carriers will codeshare on these flights.

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 trademarks of American Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: AMR)

About Japan Airlines

Japan Airlines – awarded the most punctual major global airline in 2009, is a member of the oneworld® Alliance and has a global network reaching more than 200 airports in over 30 countries and regions with its codeshare partners. Domestically, the airline covers some 50 airports throughout Japan.  JAL operates an average of 22,000 international and domestic flights a month, and its fleet of more than 260 aircraft includes Boeing 777s, 767s, 737-800s, Airbus A300-600Rs and Brazilian-made regional jets, Embraer E170. Japan Airlines' frequent flyer program, JAL Mileage Bank (JMB), is one of the world's largest loyalty programs, with more than 20 million members worldwide.  JAL also offers additional benefits for its top-tier members.

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

SOURCE American Airlines