FORT WORTH, Texas - We welcome the involvement of the National Mediation Board in our negotiations with the Allied Pilots Association, and hope to reach an amicable agreement without any further delay.

While we have not met the technical requirements for federal mediation in view of the fact that we are in daily communication with the union and are not at an impasse in negotiations, we believe that any assistance in expediting the process is beneficial and worthwhile.

Therefore, we are joining the APA in its request for mediation.

We will continue to work diligently with the APA, and trust that the assistance provided by federal mediators will help us make progress toward resolving the 350 proposals the union submitted at the beginning of contract talks.

Our objective is a fair and affordable contract to help us be competitive in these challenging economic times. Now is the time to work together and get this process concluded quickly and constructively.

Our commitment to that goal was demonstrated last year with our opening proposal to our pilots that offered an expedited negotiations process.

American Airlines management and the employees throughout the company continue to work very hard toward our economic recovery and to ensure a stable economic future.

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