American Airlines Launches New Summer Seasonal Flight From Chicago O'Hare to Helsinki

CHICAGO, May 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- American Airlines today launched its newest international flight from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Helsinki, Finnair's Nordic hub.

Operating out of American's "Gateway to the World" terminal at O'Hare from May 1 through Oct. 29, the new flight is one of the new routes announced last October as part of American's trans-Atlantic joint business with British Airways and Iberia.

"This is American's first flight to Finland, which is now the 10th European country that we serve nonstop from the United States," said Loretta Kuss, American's Regional Director, Passenger Sales – Chicago.  "The service will enable Finnish passengers to connect to nearly 75 destinations beyond Chicago, while allowing U.S. passengers to connect to nearly 15 destinations across Scandinavia, the Baltics, Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Poland, Northern Germany and domestic markets in Finland."

American's new nonstop service will be the second from the U.S. to Helsinki, complementing oneworld® partner Finnair's existing JFKHEL flight. American is a founding member of the oneworld Alliance.

"We are delighted to be launching this new route and to be extending our reach into Northern Europe," Kuss added.  "We are also excited to be working closely with our partners at Finnair and believe this new service will be very popular with our customers."

“This new service between Chicago and Helsinki will not only increase economic trade, but will also provide a vehicle to further strengthen the cultural connections between our two cities,” said Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. “Today, the economic health of a city depends on its ability to forge business and cultural partnerships with cities around the globe."

"Today's world is shrinking due to globalized business, new communications technologies, and increased international travel.  Good connections are essential to get people to meet and experience new ideas and develop business and cultural ties.  American Airlines, supported by Finnair, is establishing a historic, new direct flight connection that will finally fill the gap that has separated Chicago, the Midwest, and Helsinki – not only by distance, but by lack of mutual awareness," said Olavi Goos, the Honorary Consul of Finland.  "We applaud and congratulate American Airlines for creating a direct connection between Helsinki and Chicago.  We are certain that this new link will bring the people of these two great cities closer."

American will fly the new route with its two-class Boeing 767-300 aircraft, offering 30 lie-flat Business Class seats and 195 seats in Economy Class.

The schedule for the new route is as follows:

In celebration of the new route, from May 1 through July 31, 2011, members of the American Airlines AAdvantage® program can earn 15,000 bonus miles for flying round trip in Business Class between Chicago and Helsinki.  Customers can also earn 10,000 bonus miles for flying round trip in full-fare Economy Class and 5,000 bonus miles for flying on discounted Economy Class fares.  To be eligible for the bonus miles, AAdvantage members must register prior to travel at www.AA.com/offers .

The new Helsinki flight is in addition to new service launched by American on April 5 from Los Angeles to Shanghai and from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Budapest, Hungary, as well as additional service from Miami to Madrid and from JFK to Barcelona.

In June, British Airways will launch new service between London and San Diego.  In March, Iberia began its new nonstop service from Madrid to Los Angeles and from Barcelona to Miami.

For full information about travel options with American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia please visit www.aa.com .

About American Airlines

American Airlines, American Eagle and AmericanConnection® serve 250 cities in 50 countries with, on average, more than 3,600 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 fares are also available through Kayak.com and Priceline.com, as well as thousands of travel agencies worldwide. 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 approximately 900 destinations with more than 9,000 daily flights to 145 countries and territories. American Airlines, Inc. and American Eagle Airlines, Inc. are subsidiaries of AMR Corporation. AmericanAirlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection, AA.com, and AAdvantage are trademarks of American Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: AMR).

Current AMR Corp. releases can be accessed on the Internet. The address is http://www.aa.com

SOURCE American Airlines