American Airlines and Finnair receive US anti-trust immunity, further enhancing oneworld

7 de agosto de 2002

American Airlines and Finnair have received US anti-trust immunity from the US Department of Transportation, opening the doors for the two carriers to co-operate on scheduling and pricing initiatives, enhancing their existing code-share agreement as well as the oneworld™ global alliance under which they operate.

American's Vice-President of International Planning and Alliances David Cush said: "Anti-trust immunity allows American and Finnair to plan and coordinate our services and networks so that we can offer the traveling public better service through the efficiencies and reduced operating costs such cooperation can generate. We will immediately look for opportunities to deepen and expand our successful relationship."

The two airlines have strongly complementary route networks. American Airlines currently has no service into the Scandinavian region. Finnair serves an excellent range of destinations across northern Europe and beyond into Russia and the major cities of the Baltic region. The European carrier flies daily between its Helsinki hub and New York JFK, where AA is building the airport's most modern terminal, making transfers for passengers flying across the Atlantic even easier.

American Airlines is the world's largest carrier. Together with the American Eagle and AmericanConnection regional carriers, the American Airlines network serves more than 250 cities in 41 countries and territories with approximately 4.400 daily flights. The combined American Airlines network fleet numbers more than 1.100 aircraft. Only American provides More Room Throughout Coach for More Coach Passengers.

Finnair, the national carrier of Finland, serves more than 50 cities in almost 40 countries with more than 400 daily flights. The airline is currently undergoing substantial expansion in Asia, launching flights to Hong Kong earlier this year with its Helsinki gateway, an ideal gateway from the continent into Europe. In July 2002, it was named the first winner of Airline Business magazine's Strategy Technology Award for its industry leadership in the field of eCommerce.

oneworld, the most international of the global airline alliances, is a grouping of some of the best known, highest quality names in the airline business, working together to make global travel smoother, easier, more rewarding and a better value than any individual airline can by itself. Customers from member airlines can accrue and redeem frequent flyer awards on eligible flights across the alliance and receive other special services and benefits. Besides American Airlines and Finnair, oneworld's members include British Airways, Qantas, Cathay Pacific Airways, Iberia, LanChile and Aer Lingus. Between they, serve 135 countries -- more than any other global airline alliance -- with flights to some 575 destinations.

ends