American Airlines to resume DFW-Osaka service and launch Chicago-Nagoya service

American Airlines has applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation for authority to resume a daily nonstop service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Osaka, Japan, on Nov. 1, 2005, and to launch a daily nonstop service between Chicago and Nagoya, Japan, on April 3, 2005.

Osaka will become American's 33rd international destination from its Dallas/Fort Worth hub, and Nagoya will increase to 19 the number of international points American serves from its Chicago hub. Together, Osaka and Nagoya will give the airline a total of seven routes between the United States and Japan and allow American to expand access to a portion of Japan that is home to many major Japanese and several key U.S. companies.

American will fly the DFW-Osaka and Chicago-Nagoya routes with 236-seat Boeing 777s.

"Osaka is a key point in Asia," said Dan Garton, American's Executive Vice President-Marketing. "Restoring Osaka to the American Airlines network through DFW will further solidify our commitment to the North Texas area to make Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport an important center for international trade, travel and commerce. And the timing with the opening of Terminal D could not be more perfect. We are very enthusiastic about Terminal D and other state-of-the-art improvements at DFW, such as the Skylink people-mover rail system."

Jeff Fegan, DFW's chief executive officer, said, "American's commitment to international service at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is further evidence of the strength of this marketplace and the growing opportunities which exist between DFW and Asia. With our new International Terminal D opening next summer, it's clear the international market will continue to grow and position us as a premier international gateway to the United States."

More than 1,400 years old and capital of Japan in the seventh century, modern-day Osaka is Japan's second largest gateway and the heart of an eight-prefecture region with a gross domestic product (GDP) of nearly $800 billion, representing about 17 percent of Japan's economy.

Major corporations in the Osaka area include Matsushita Electric (Panasonic), Sharp, Sanyo, Nintendo, Kobe Steel, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries. U.S. companies Proctor & Gamble and Eli Lilly have Japan headquarters in Osaka, whose industry includes shipbuilding, iron and steel production, advanced electronic design and manufacturing, biotechnology, as well as consumer goods production.

In addition to its extensive business interests, Osaka is noted for its abundance of ancient temples and a Universal Studios theme park.

Kansai International Airport, which serves the Osaka region, was opened in 1994 on an island in Osaka Bay, about 30 minutes from downtown Osaka. A major expansion that includes a second runway was begun in 1999 and is scheduled to open in 2007.

American's new Chicago-Nagoya service will operate into Nagoya's new Central Japan International Airport -- called Centrair -- which opens next February.

American will fly both routes with Boeing 777s featuring 16 fully reclining First Class seats, 35 Business Class seats and 185 seats in the Main Cabin.

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