American Airlines to Resume Nonstop Service Between New Orleans and New York in February

FORT WORTH, Texas, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The "Big Easy" to "Big Apple" express is back in business on American Airlines.

Just in time for Mardi Gras, American will resume nonstop service between New Orleans and New York's LaGuardia Airport on Feb. 3, with one round trip flight each day. American will be the only carrier flying nonstop between New Orleans and close-in LaGuardia Airport.

In addition, American will resume mainline nonstop jet service between New Orleans and St. Louis on April 3, replacing one of two daily flights currently being operated by American's regional partner, AmericanConnection(R).

Service to both New York and St. Louis will be flown with MD-80 aircraft, configured with 16 first class seats and 120 seats in the main cabin.

Both the New York LaGuardia and St. Louis routes had been flown nonstop by American before Hurricane Katrina devastated the New Orleans area in late August. American operated the first aircraft back into New Orleans shortly after the hurricane subsided, and since then, the airline has been steadily rebuilding its flight levels there, operating a partial schedule of flights to Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago and Miami.

On April 3, American will near its pre-Katrina level of service when -- in addition to the LaGuardia and St. Louis flights mentioned above -- it adds an additional three daily flights to Dallas/Fort Worth, one to Chicago O'Hare, and one to Miami, bringing New Orleans to 15 daily jet departures (versus 16 daily departures pre-Katrina).

"American has been serving New Orleans for more than 25 years, so we're delighted to resume a full schedule of flights to the city," said Dan Garton, American's Executive Vice President of Marketing. "These additional flights reflect our continued commitment to New Orleans and underscore our plans to rebuild service there as demand increases."

Here is the schedule for the New Orleans-New York LaGuardia nonstop service, effective Feb. 3. All times shown are local.

   New Orleans to New York LaGuardia
         Depart        Arrive
         1:14 p.m.     4:59 p.m.

   New York LaGuardia to New Orleans
         Depart        Arrive
        10:04 a.m.    12:32 p.m.

Here is the schedule for the New Orleans-St. Louis nonstop service, effective April 3. All times shown are local.

        New Orleans to St. Louis
         Depart        Arrive
         9:32 a.m.    11:17 a.m.
        11:20 a.m.     1:07 p.m.* (Sat/Sun only)
         5:55 p.m.     7:48 p.m.*

      St. Louis to New Orleans
         Depart        Arrive
         7:10 a.m.     8:50 a.m.
         9:05 a.m.    11:01 a.m.* (Sat/Sun only)
         3:40 p.m.     5:30 p.m.*
    *  Denotes flights operated by AmericanConnection(R)

Here are the nonstop flight levels from New Orleans to Dallas/Fort Worth, Chicago and Miami, effective April 3.

                 Nonstop Flights . New Orleans to ...
                           Current        Effective April 3
   Dallas/Fort Worth         4                   7
   Chicago O'Hare            2                   3
   Miami                     2                   3

Travelers can check schedules and fares and book flights by visiting AA.com . Book travel and purchase your ticket on AA.com and earn up to 1,000 AAdvantage(R) bonus miles. See http://www.aa.com/bonus for details. There are no online booking fees. In addition, on AA.com you'll find the absolute lowest fares available for American Airlines, American Eagle and AmericanConnection(R) flights -- guaranteed. For lowest-fare guarantee terms and conditions, visit http://www.aa.com/guarantee .

For an additional $10 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 $15 per ticket, travel arrangements can be made at an American Airlines Travel Center or Airport Ticket Office.

About American Airlines

American Airlines is the world's largest airline. American, American Eagle and AmericanConnection(R) serve 250 cities in over 40 countries with more than 3,900 daily flights. The combined network fleet numbers more than 1,000 aircraft. American's award-winning Web site, AA.com, provides users with easy access to check and book fares, plus personalized news, information and travel offers. American Airlines is a founding member of the oneworld(SM) Alliance, which brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business, enabling them to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own. Together, its members serve more than 600 destinations in over 135 countries and territories. American Airlines, Inc. and American Eagle Airlines, Inc. are subsidiaries of AMR Corporation (NYSE: AMR) . AmericanAirlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection, AA.com and AAdvantage are registered trademarks of American Airlines, Inc.

AmericanAirlines(R) We know why you fly(SM) Current AMR Corp. releases can be accessed via the Internet. The address is http://www.aa.com/

First Call Analyst: FCMN Contact: rick.wilbins@aa.com