American Airlines is launching a special public Web site in support of its application to open nonstop service to Beijing from DFW International Airport in March 2007.AA is calling for support from individual travelers, domestic and international businesses, cargo shipping companies and others to take action for this competitive bid.

The site—http://www.flytochinaonaa.com—will enable travelers, business owners, AA employees and city and civic leaders to easily express their support for American’s application, as well as get detailed information about the proposed route. This bid process is highly competitive with multiple carriers vying for just one route from the United States to China. Only American chose to submit a bid for a route originating in the southern U.S.—an area of the country with no nonstop service to China. Public support is needed to augment American’s application to the United States Department of Transportation, and names from the electronic petition will be packaged with American’s application to help influence the ultimate awarding of the route.

“We are calling on our millions of loyal customers and the flying public at large to support American’s application for the DFW to Beijing daily nonstop route. The ultimate decision about the next U.S.-to-China route will be made by the Department of Transportation early next year,” said Will Ris, American’s Senior Vice President of Government Affairs. “Acquiring the route would generate an estimated $120 million to upwards of $200 million annual economic benefit for the North Texas region and it would be the first-ever southern city gateway to China.”

According to Ris, the route would deliver benefits to a vast majority of the U.S. population.

“Passengers in 33 states, or approximately 80 percent of the U.S. mainland population, would benefit from the American route from DFW to Beijing,” said Ris. “DFW is American’s largest hub where we operate approximately 800 daily departures with service to 129 domestic destinations. The new international route would add 30 new cities that would for the first time benefit from one- stop connections through DFW to Beijing.”

Sixty-one of those domestic destinations have flights which would allow for an easy connection with no overnight stay. Once travelers arrive in Beijing, there are 21 additional connection opportunities throughout interior China on American’s codeshare partner, China Eastern Airlines.

This route would open up substantial business opportunities and job growth possibilities with daily cargo and shipping opportunities, convenient connection schedules and a new portal for importing and exporting goods to and from mainland China.

Currently, there are only three U.S. gateways to China and none are in the southern part of the U.S. The existing gateways include Chicago, Newark and San Francisco. American Airlines currently offers direct service to only one destination in China, via its Chicago-Shanghai service, which launched earlier this year.

“Opening DFW Airport to China travel only makes sense since dozens of cities and millions of people already connect directly to DFW,” said Ris. “People and businesses in the southern and southwestern United States deserve the opportunity for a daily nonstop or one-stop route to China that has not been readily available to them in the past.”

American is providing a link on the http://www.flytochinaonaa.com Web site that will allow the public to send a letter of support directly to the Department of Transportation. It also enables people to send information about the potential new route to friends, family and associates. The electronic petition can be signed in a few easy steps, and a link will enable petition signers to forward the site to friends, co-workers, and others so they can sign as well.

AA has also been nominated this year for a

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World Travel Award as North America’s Leading Airline.
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