American Airlines Inc. said on Aug. 29 that it has asked the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to allow the carrier to delay the startup of its nonstop service between Chicago O'Hare International Airport and Beijing, China, for another year.

The service was originally scheduled to begin on Apr. 9, 2009, but Fort Worth-based AMR Corp., the parent company of American Airlines Inc., has asked DOT to allow the company to delay the launch of the service until Apr. 4, 2010.

American says the economy and fuel prices prompted the request.

"As a result of the unprecedented level in the price of fuel and general economic conditions, other carriers in the U.S.-China market have been granted authorization by DOT to defer startup, suspend service or operate frequencies on a seasonal basis," American Airlines said in a statement.