American Airlines comments on Japan Airlines Decision to Continue Membership in oneworld

FORT WORTH, Texas, Feb. 9

American Airlines today announced that it is pleased Japan Airlines (JAL) will continue and expand its successful relationship with American and the oneworld Alliance.

"We respect that this was an important decision for Japan Airlines and the government of Japan, and we believe they have made the right choice for JAL's many stakeholders, for Japan's national interests and for consumers traveling between Japan and the United States," said Gerard Arpey, American's Chairman and CEO. "When oneworld executives and I recently met with JAL Chairman Dr. Kazuo Inamori and President Masaru Onishi and their team, we reiterated our commitment to support JAL on its path to success. We stand firmly by that commitment, and look forward to working closely with JAL to support its restructuring efforts."

That support starts with being a valued and equal partner in oneworld, a collection of 11 of the finest airline brands in the world that offers JAL superior network presence in the markets that matter most. For example, for connections from Japan to the top markets within the Americas, Europe, Asia and Australia, in 16 of those 20 markets oneworld provides JAL with a stronger network presence than any other alliance. "The quality of oneworld is unrivaled," Arpey said.

American and JAL will now focus on building a joint venture that can offer JAL significant revenue growth beyond the stability that oneworld offers today.

"In the coming days, American will work with JAL's new management team to finalize a joint application for trans-Pacific antitrust immunity (ATI) that will be filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)," Arpey said. "American remains confident that the ATI application will meet DOT's pro-consumer and pro-competition criteria for granting ATI, which will pave the way for our two airlines to operate a joint venture between U.S. and Japan." With immunity, both carriers may cooperate more closely and generate new revenue while providing better travel choices for customers.

"American and all its oneworld partners, and in particular British Airways and Qantas, look forward to working with JAL to create an even stronger partnership through commercial enhancements and assistance that can generate important new revenue to JAL and support its successful restructuring," Arpey added. The carriers previously outlined plans to deliver to JAL commercial benefits valued at approximately $2 billion in ongoing and incremental revenue over three years.