AP
American Airlines, El Al announce cooperation deal
Tuesday July 29, 3:45 pm ET
American Airlines, El Al to sell seats on each other's flights

NEW YORK (AP) -- El Al, Israel's national airline, and American Airlines said Tuesday they will begin selling tickets on each other's connecting flights beginning in September.
The agreement replaces a code-share deal that El Al had with Delta Air Lines Inc. until late last year, when Delta began its own direct flights from the United States to Tel Aviv.

The agreement with American will begin Sept. 2.

American will sell tickets on El Al flights from the U.S. to Tel Aviv as if they were American jets. El Al will sell seats -- or place its "code" on tickets -- on some American domestic flights from gateway cities reached by El Al flights.

Airlines use code-share agreements to expand their network without adding planes or employees. Customers of one airline typically earn miles for the part of their trip flown on the other's plane.

El Al Chairman Israel Borovich called the deal the most comprehensive code-share agreement between his airline and a foreign carrier.
American, a unit of Fort Worth, Texas-based AMR Corp., is the largest U.S. carrier.