AA, Cathay Pacific Prepare To Code Share

American Airlines and Oneworld partner Cathay Pacific, after receiving the green light from the U.S. Department of Transportation, plan to begin codeshare flights between Hong Kong and the United States "within a few weeks."

Specifically, AA plans to place its code on Cathay Pacific flights from Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco to Hong Kong, as well as flights from Hong Kong to other Asia destinations. Cathay will place its code on AA flights between Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and 20 U.S. cities.

Once activated, the codeshare flights will represent American's entry into the Hong Kong market. Both Continental and United airlines already offer direct service to Hong Kong from the United States. Northwest Airlines serves Hong Kong from Tokyo.

According to American, more than 600 U.S.-based companies have regional offices in Hong Kong and the new codeshare will positively impact the U.S. economy by about $100 million per year.