American Airlines parent AMR lost $344 million in fourth quarter

AMR lost $344 million in fourth quarter

DALLAS — American Airlines ended 2009 with a loss and 2010 could have a rocky start if the carrier loses a key partner in the Asian market.

The parent of American says it lost $344 million in the fourth quarter as traffic fell and many business travelers stayed home or bought cheaper tickets.

Now that the fourth-quarter accounting is done, investors will be turning their attention to Japan, where American and parent AMR Corp. are scrambling to hold on to a valuable partnership with Japan Airlines.

JAL filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, and reports in the Japanese press say the airline wants to dump American and form a partnership with Delta Air Lines.