American and China Southern will begin codesharing on 16
routes on Jan. 18.
American is placing its code on nine China Southern routes
flying beyond Beijing Capital Airport. The routes serve Guangzhou, Chongqing,
Harbin, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Changsha, Changchun, Dalian and Nanning.
China Southern is placing its code on seven American routes,
including between Los Angeles and Chicago O'Hare, Philadelphia, Charlotte and Washington
Dulles, and between San Francisco and Dallas/Fort Worth and Phoenix. The
carriers will also codeshare one-way from Phoenix to Los Angeles.
The codeshares are part of a partnership formed by American
and China Southern last March, a deal in which American took a 2.9% stake in
China Southern, China's largest airline.
The carriers applied for 29 codeshares with the Department of
Transportation in September. American spokesman Matt Miller said that the two
airlines hope to expand their codeshare relationship over time.
American and China Southern have also begun an interline
agreement which will provide American's customers with access to more than 100
additional destinations in China.