Carriers "in joint bid to help JAL"

       American Airlines will team up with British Airways and Qantas Airways to offer cash-strapped Japan Airlines fresh capital and expanded business ties,two sources said, aiming to fight off a rival offer from Delta Air Lines.
       The proposal, which will include a capital injection from American Airlines but may not bring money from British Airways (BA) or Australia's Qantas, comes as Delta holds rival talks to invest in JAL and woo it to a rival airline alliance.
       JAL, which is headed for its second straight loss this business year, is weighing both offers as part of a larger government-backed restructuring expected to include heavy lay-offs, route reductions and asset sales.
       Both Delta and AMR Corp's American are courting JAL to gain access to promising routes in Asia, including in Japan where the mainly domestic Haneda airport is undergoing a major expansion that will see a large increase in international flights.
       "A tie-up with Delta would give JAL a bigger benefit when it comes to North American routes," said Ryouta Himeno,transport analyst at Mitsubishi UFJ Securities."But by involving other carriers which are strong in other areas, American could have a good chance to keep JAL in Oneworld and expand its reach in Asia."
       Executives from JAL's Oneworld airline alliance partners American, BA and Qantas met JAL executives this week in Tokyo and told them of their plans to put together a joint offer, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said.
       The American-led group will try to sell JAL on the idea that leaving Oneworld,which pools frequent flyer miles, integrates computer systems and feeds passengers between member airlines, would trigger a big loss of business for JAL.
       Delta is a member of the rival SkyTeam alliance, which has no major Japanese carrier. Fellow SkyTeam member Air France-KLM has been named as a potential partner with Delta for an investment in JAL. Japan's second-largest airline, All Nippon Airways Co, is part of the Star Alliance, the third major airline group.
       "Combined, the Oneworld partnership today generates over half a billion dollars for JAL in revenues on an annual basis.JAL is very aware of this number," said one of the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the negotiations are not public.
       Spokespersons for all the airlines declined to comment.
       In addition to an investment, American Airlines is talking with JAL about the creation of a joint venture under which the two would co-operate more closely and share revenues on flights as well as look to attract business customers with joint contracts.