American Airlines
announced today that it has made a $75 million contribution to its defined
benefit pension plans.  This is in addition to the $138 million American
contributed to the defined benefit plans earlier this year, bringing its total
contributions to the plans in 2005 to more than $200 million.“American remains strongly committed to its pension plans and to
restructuring our company in ways that will allow us to continue to afford our
pension obligations,” said Gerard J. Arpey, the airline’s Chairman and CEO.
“The contributions we have made to the defined benefit pension plans this year
underscore the progress we, our people and our unions have made—working
together—in helping the company build the financial stability it needs to
maintain the plans and work toward a secure retirement for our employees.”
  Arpey noted that American has been working closely with its employees and
its unions on pension-reform legislation.  A large group of American employees
and union officials will be rallying on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.,
tomorrow in support of measures that would make funding employees pensions
more affordable and more flexible, without transferring these obligations to
the government.
  With its defined benefit pension plans currently funded at about
80 percent, American has the best-funded defined benefit plans in the
industry.
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