On the heels of similar tentative approval given to Continental Airlines, American Airlines will begin nonstop service from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Shanghai, China, on April 2, 2006, subject to government approval.  The announcement follows the tentative decision by the U.S. Department of Transportation to grant American the authority to fly to China from the United States.  American will become the fourth U.S. passenger carrier to do so.

We are especially grateful that the U.S. Department of Transportation has chosen American to fly from the U.S. to China, beginning in 2006, said American's Chairman and CEO Gerard J. Arpey.  For more than five years, we have wanted to fly to China and have believed that American's service will provide the strongest possible competition in this growing marketplace.  This award for new service starting in 2006 will be a big breakthrough for us in the Asian market.

According to the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, more than 300,000 companies based in the Chicago region, including 34 Fortune 500 companies, also will benefit from Chicago to Shanghai service.

Shanghai will become the 21st international destination served by American from its Chicago hub and will complement American's five routes between the United States and Tokyo and the new American flight between Chicago and Nagoya, Japan.

From Shanghai, American will offer convenient connections to several cities within China through its long-standing partnership with China Eastern Airlines, which is based in Shanghai and is that city's largest carrier.