American Airlines and its oneworld alliance partner, Cathay Pacific, have expanded their codeshare relationship to include Cathay Pacific's new daily service between Chicago O'Hare International Airport and Hong Kong International Airport, as well as Cathay's existing daily service between Hong Kong and Ho Chi Minh City. The new Ho Chi Minh City codeshare gives American a stronger presence in Southeast Asia.

These flights will be available for travel starting Sept. 1. With the addition of the new flights, the codeshare agreement between American and Cathay Pacific includes 23 markets in North America and eight markets throughout Asia.

"Our partnership with Cathay Pacific gives American's customers expanded access to destinations in China and the rest of Asia," said Virasb Vahidi, American's Chief Commercial Officer. "With this codeshare expansion, our customers now have more options for travel between North America and Asia."

Cathay Pacific Chief Operating Officer Ivan Chu said, "We are very pleased to be able to extend our cooperation with American Airlines, one of our important partners in the oneworld alliance. This new arrangement will offer more choices and greater convenience for passengers from the U.S. and will help to ensure the success of the new Cathay Pacific service between Chicago and Hong Kong, which will launch on Sept. 1."

American and Cathay Pacific have been codesharing since 2003 on several trans-Pacific, as well as U.S. domestic and intra-Asia flights. Recently, Cathay Pacific expanded the agreement by adding its code on domestic services between Chicago O'Hare International Airport and 11 U.S. markets served by American or American Eagle. This expansion was made possible because of Cathay Pacific's new service to Chicago, and the increased connectivity it offers to customers travelling between the networks of both carriers.