When American Airlines begins its new daily nonstop service to Shanghai, China, on April 2, 2006, from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, it will mean that the airline's Cargo Division can offer even greater added value to its customers who use American's global network to ensure their raw materials and finished goods get to their final destination in an expedited fashion. The airline's first service to China features the cargo-friendly Boeing 777-200 wide-body aircraft. From Shanghai, convenient connections to 65 US cities located in 31 states are available from Chicago's Gateway to the World hub, as well as connections to vital international markets in Latin America and the Caribbean.

'With our service to Shanghai, we introduce American's flight specific cargo products to China's expanding marketplace,' said Dave Brooks, President ' American Airlines Cargo Division. "We are particularly focused on connecting business out of China to our extensive network in the United States and Latin America. We expect to facilitate the movement of finished goods, component parts, perishable foods and raw materials between the two regions.'

For urgent shipments, American offers an express freight product, ExpeditefsSM, which offers priority boarding and quicker hub connections, and carries a 100% money-back guarantee. American's flight specific cargo product mix allows customers to know the precise routing, status and availability time of each shipment. It also gives the customer the opportunity for more control over factors like boarding priority, hub connection times and product guarantee. American's growing Asian network is also enhanced by direct flights from the US to Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, and Delhi, India. American's strong interline relationships with other airlines also offer coordinated services for cargo traffic beyond these markets. The extensive line-up of interline partnerships provides true global reach, allowing American to connect cargo to virtually any airport in the world.

In addition, shipment booking, tracking and status notification are available online via AACargo.com. Registered users can log in to book, track and personalize to create an air cargo management system that is available to them around the clock.