American Airlines to launch new international routes to Europe

American Airlines will launch two new seasonal services this summer, daily flights to Rome from New York’s JFK International Airport will begin on May 1, 2003 and a daily service to Barcelona from JFK will start on June 15, 2003, subject to government approvals. American will operate both routes with two-class Boeing 767-300 aircraft. The services will end on Oct. 24, 2003.

"We continue to strategically capitalize on markets where we anticipate strong demand, putting capacity where it makes dollars and sense," said Daniel P. Garton, American’s Executive Vice President - Marketing. "Continental Europe has remained one of the stronger travel markets and, combined with the economics of our upcoming reconfigured 767 offering Business Class and our ‘More Room Throughout Coach’ product, we expect these routes to be smart additions to our summer schedule."

Garton said the new routes further demonstrate American’s commitment to the New York marketplace and to the new JFK terminal that the airline is building. He also sees the Barcelona addition as nicely complementing American’s relationship with oneworld partner and Spanish flag carrier, Iberia, which maintains a hub operation at Barcelona.

In other international route moves, the airline will add a seasonal second Dallas/Fort Worth-to-Paris flight four days a week starting on April 6. That service pattern will increase to five days a week on May 1 and to daily service on June 1. The flights will be operated with two-class 767-300 aircraft. Also on June 1, American will add a 12th weekly flight from Dallas/Fort Worth to Tokyo with Boeing 777 aircraft.

These seasonal services will complement American’s newest Japan route, Los Angeles to Tokyo, which starts six days a week on April 1 and becomes daily service on May 4, also using Boeing 777 equipment.