Continuing its
international expansion, American Airlines announced today that it will
fly nonstop on two key routes between the United States and the Republic
of Ireland—Chicago-Dublin and Boston-Shannon—starting May 1, 2005. American said it will fly the Chicago-Dublin service with 211-seat Boeing
767-300 aircraft and will serve Boston-Shannon with 188-seat Boeing 757s.
The airline will operate both routes on a daily basis during the peak
summer travel season and five days a week the rest of the year.

The addition of Dublin and Shannon to its route network will increase
American’s overall presence in Europe to 12 destinations in eight
countries and will give the airline a total of 280 nonstop flights a week
each way across the Atlantic.

With the new flights, American also will be offering fast and efficient
cargo service to and from Dublin and Shannon, providing a better supply
chain and faster distribution for shippers between the United States and
Ireland. American already carries about 10 percent of the air cargo
shipments in the U.S.-Ireland market on service through other European
cities.

“We continue to focus on strong and growing international markets as we
position American for long-term success under our Turnaround Plan,” said
Henry C. Joyner, the airline’s Senior Vice President of Planning. “Ireland
fits our strategy perfectly. Dublin’s passenger traffic alone is up about
24 percent over the past five years, and in 2003, more than 900,000 people
visited Ireland from the United States.”

John O’Donoghue T.D., Ireland’s Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism,
said, “Ireland offers a premier vacation destination experience for
American travelers. The decision by American Airlines will substantially
expand the air travel options and choices for U.S. travel consumers
wishing to sample the legendary Irish welcome that awaits our American
visitors. My colleagues and I in the United States greatly look forward to
working with American Airlines to benefit Irish tourism.”

Dublin will become the 20th international destination served by American
from its Chicago O’Hare World Gateway hub, and the airline’s eighth
destination to Europe from Chicago. The others are London Heathrow,
Manchester and Glasgow in the United Kingdom; Rome, Italy; Frankfurt,
Germany; Brussels, Belgium, and Paris, France.

At Boston, Shannon will become American’s eighth international
destination, joining London Heathrow; Santo Domingo in the Dominican
Republic, and Aruba in the Netherlands Antilles, all served year round;
and Manchester; Paris; Cancun, Mexico, and Providenciales in the Turks and
Caicos, all served seasonally.

American’s international presence at Chicago and Boston is enhanced by
American Eagle, its regional affiliate, which serves Montreal and Ottawa,
Canada, from Chicago; and Toronto and Halifax, Canada (summer weekends
only), from Boston.

In October 1945, a former subsidiary of American, American Overseas
Airlines, operated the first commercial air service between the United
States and Shannon with flights to and from Boston. American’s involvement
in that service ended in 1950 when AOA was sold to Pan American World
Airways.

Since 1996, American has operated a major European reservations office in
Dublin with more than 200 employees handling calls from nine countries
across Europe.

The expansion to Ireland builds on a range of new international services
American has introduced or announced recently in several corners of the
globe. In the European market, American opened seasonal service this year
in the Boston-Manchester and Miami-Manchester markets, and, in cooperation
with code- share partner SN Brussels, launched service between New York
Kennedy and Brussels. The airline also increased frequencies this summer
on the Los Angeles-Heathrow route and added a third Dallas/Fort
Worth-London Gatwick flight.

In the Asia-Pacific marketplace, American began Los Angeles-Tokyo service
on April 4. American also has announced two new U.S.-Japan routes for 2005
—Chicago-Nagoya in April and Dallas/Fort Worth-Osaka in November—and
is seeking DOT approval to fly between Chicago and Shanghai, China,
starting May 1 next year.

American also has been active in Central and South America, Bermuda and
the Caribbean. The airline launched service between Los Angeles and both
El Salvador and (seasonally) San Jose, Costa Rica; between DFW and
Cozumel, Mexico; and between Miami and St. Kitts and St. Lucia. In
December, American will begin seasonal flights between Miami and
Montevideo in Uruguay, and will open service between Miami and Bermuda
next March.

 

The Boeing 767-300 aircraft American will use to fly the Chicago-Dublin
service have 29 Business Class seats, featuring 60 inches of legroom, and
182 seats in the main cabin. The Boeing 757s that will fly Boston-Shannon
have a single main cabin of 188 seats.

In flight, passengers on both routes will enjoy American’s award-winning
International Flagship Service, featuring a selection of dining, beverage
and entertainment options. Business Class passengers on the Chicago-Dublin
route will have access to a number of other amenities for use at their
convenience, including powerports at each seat. Powerports will be
available in the Main Cabin on both routes at selected seats.

American offers broad access to key destinations around the world as a
founding member of the global oneworld Alliance, which also includes Aer
Lingus, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Lan Chile and
Qantas.

In Europe, American also has codeshare partnerships with Gulf Air, SN
Brussels, SWISS International and Turkish Airlines.

Travelers can check schedules and fares and book flights by visiting
AA.com. Bookings made on AA.com earn up to 1,000 AAdvantage bonus miles.
For an additional $5 per ticket, travel arrangements can also be made by
calling American’s reservations number at 1-800-433-7300 (en espanol
1-800-633-3711) within the United States and Canada. Outside the United
States and Canada, call the local reservations number. For an additional
$10 per ticket, travel arrangements can be made at an American Airlines
Travel Center or Airport Ticket Office.
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