EANS-News: Air Berlin concludes codeshare agreements with American Airlines and Finnair after joining oneworld

The first step towards joining oneworld, the worldwide airline
alliance – a broad network of flight connections to America and Asia
for Air Berlin passengers

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Strategic management decisions/Codeshare

Subtitle: The first step towards joining oneworld, the worldwide
airline alliance – a broad network of flight connections to America
and Asia for Air Berlin passengers

Berlin (euro adhoc) - Air Berlin, the second largest airline in
Germany and the fifth largest in Europe, announced that it is to join
oneworld®, the world's premier airline alliance for international
quality carriers. Full membership is envisaged for the beginning of
2012.

In preparation for joining the alliance, Air Berlin has set up
codeshare agreements with American Airlines and Finnair. This will
provide Air Berlin passengers with access to the important American
market and, via the Helsinki hub, to the rapidly growing Asian
markets. The codeshare flights will be available in time for the
winter schedule 2010/11.

Joachim Hunold, CEO Air Berlin, commented on the agreement that is
linked to Air Berlin´s plans to join oneworld, the global airline
alliance: "We are very pleased that the bilateral agreement will be
in place for the start of the winter schedule 2010/11. With our
friends at American Airlines we will link our hubs on both sides of
the Atlantic to achieve a major increase in our services by operating
codeshare flights. Initially we will offer 38 routes, including nine
transatlantic routes, as part of this codeshare."

Tom Horton, President of American Airlines, added: "We are pleased to
announce our partnership with Air Berlin, the second largest German
airline, which has also become one of the most respected airlines in
Europe over the past two decades. This relationship will add
significant value for our customers by substantially growing our
global network. The agreement provides our customers with extensive
access to Germany, Europe´s biggest economy, as well as many other
business and leisure destinations. Furthermore, Air Berlin´s U.S.
services truly complement our three strategic core markets - New
York, Miami, and Los Angeles."

As regards the codeshare agreement with Finnair, Joachim Hunold
remarked: "Finnair and Air Berlin were able to survive the selection
process experienced by European airlines because they took action
rather than watching from the sidelines. We are delighted that
Finnair and Air Berlin have reached an agreement on offering
codeshare flights from the start of this year´s winter schedule.
Finnair is a superb bilateral partner for Air Berlin and provides our
passengers with excellent access to the Asian markets via the Finnair
hub in Helsinki".

Mika Vehviläinen, President of Finnair, commented: "As one of the
first airlines to have joined oneworld, Finnair is delighted to
welcome Air Berlin as a new member of the alliance. The bilateral
agreement will provide Air Berlin passengers with first-class access
to destinations in Asia via our Helsinki hub. In return, our clients
from Finland will have extensive access to destinations in southern
and western Europe."

From its New York hub at John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK), American
Airlines offers flights to 56 destinations. The Miami hub of American
Airlines is at the heart of an exceptional density of flight
connections to 30 destinations in Mexico, Central and South America.
In addition, American Airlines offers a network to 23 islands in the
Caribbean and six destinations in the Bahamas, which exceeds the
services provided by any other airline. From its Los Angeles hub
there are 31 connections including four destinations in Hawaii.

In the last few years Finnair has become a major airline operating
passenger flights between Europe and Asia. From its modern Helsinki
hub it offers long-haul flights that connect Europe with key
destinations in Asia. Finnair operates flights to ten cities in Asia
(Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and Bangkok as well as
New Delhi, Nagoya, Seoul and Singapore). In 2008 the airline carried
1.3 million passengers between Europe and Asia. From Helsinki there
are connections to the German cities of Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt,
Stuttgart (from August 2010) and Munich.

Air Berlin is the leading airline in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg,
Stuttgart and Palma de Mallorca. With its international destinations
Air Berlin serves the oneworld hubs in Helsinki, Los Angeles, Madrid,
Miami, Moscow Domodedovo, New York (JFK) and Bangkok. Air Berlin
(including NIKI) currently operates a fleet of 165 aircraft with an
average age of five years. In 2009, as one of Europe´s most important
European airlines, Air Berlin carried around 28 million passengers to
160 destinations in 40 countries.

end of announcement euro adhoc
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ots Originaltext: Air Berlin PLC & Co Luftverkehrs KG
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Further inquiry note:

Hans-Christoph Noack

Director Corporate Communications Air Berlin

Tel.: + 49 30 3434 1500

Fax: + 49 30 3434 1509

Mail: abpresse@airberlin.com

Branche: Air Transport
ISIN: GB00B128C026
WKN: AB1000
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