FORT WORTH, Texas, May 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- More than 2,000 individuals from 615 travel industry-related organizations have sent letters urging the federal government to grant global antitrust immunity to five oneworld(R) airlines because they say consumers and communities will benefit.

American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia Airlines, Finnair and Royal Jordanian today filed 2,006 letters of support from the travel industry with the U.S. Department of Transportation - further demonstrating demand for a third immunized alliance that will provide benefits to the traveling public.

Travel agents and agencies, tour operators, hotels and convention centers from more than 41 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Canada are among the organizations that wrote to the Department of Transportation. The airlines on May 7, 2009, filed more than 300 letters of support from other organizations such as non-profits and chambers of commerce.

They said antitrust immunity will allow the oneworld applicants with trans-Atlantic service to compete more effectively with the SkyTeam and Star alliances, both of which already have a regulatory advantage which allows them to better serve customers. oneworld members will be able to coordinate service, schedules and fares on international routes and deliver more attractive options for travelers, the letters said.

The organizations writing in support of the airlines' bid to level the playing field with the Star and SkyTeam alliances include many prominent names in the travel agency, hotel and tourism industries. A complete list can be found at www.moretravelchoices.com/Support_ATI_application.html.

Antitrust immunity will deliver more convenient, improved travel options for customers and enhance service on oneworld's network of 8,951 daily departures to 663 destinations in 134 countries and allow oneworld, of which American, British Airways and Iberia are key members, to compete more effectively with the Star and SkyTeam global airline alliances that already enjoy antitrust immunity.

Immunized alliances create new online connections and frequencies by combining existing networks. They also provide incentives for participating airlines to begin serving new nonstop routes or to sustain others that might have been unviable for an individual airline. The combined route networks of American, British Airways and Iberia will offer seamless service to approximately 423 destinations, in 106 countries, with 5,250 daily departures worldwide.

The tighter relationships enabled by immunity provide the airlines greater incentive to price more efficiently, such as through combinable fares, resulting in greater expected availability of lower fares and more travel choices across coordinated route networks. Other benefits include expanded opportunities to earn and redeem frequent flyer miles and elite tier benefits on flights worldwide, as well as continued reciprocal airport lounge access. Corporate customers will benefit from the closer cooperation through additional destinations and with more frequencies under a single integrated contract and reinvigorated competition, as the oneworld alliance will finally be allowed to compete on equal footing with other global air alliances.

For more information about the airlines' application of antitrust immunity and a list of supporters filed with the DOT, visit www.moretravelchoices.com. Visit AA's YouTube channel at: www.youtube.com/americanairlines for video information about this and other initiatives at American Airlines.

About American Airlines

American Airlines, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection(R) airlines 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 Web site, AA.com(R), 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(R) 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

CONTACT:
Tim Smith,
Corporate Communications of American Airlines,
Fort Worth, Texas,
+1-817-967-1577,
corp.comm@aa.com/