How American Airlines' Path to Africa Landed in a Gin Joint in Casablanca
Casablanca has long been a gateway to somewhere. Most memorably as one of the final stops on the "tortuous, roundabout refugee trail" to the Americas that brought Rick and Ilsa together in the iconic wartime hit "Casablanca".
American Airlines is following a similar tortuous path to Africa — though hopefully one that will not have them wait, and wait, and wait at a gin joint in Casablanca.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier will land in Casablanca (CMN), the main hub of pending Oneworld member Royal Air Maroc, from Philadelphia (PHL) next June. American will offer three-weekly flights with a Boeing 757-200, seasonally from June 4 to Sept. 8.
Related: American Lands in Africa, Returns to Tel Aviv Amid Transatlantic Expansion
"This is the first step to us really developing an Africa network," said Vasu Raja, vice-president of network and schedule planning at American, citing the Royal Air Maroc connection on the carrier's Tell Me Why podcast on Thursday.
American hopes to repeat in Africa what it did with Central and Eastern Europe. The airline launched service to Budapest (BUD) and Prague (PRG), its first destinations outside of Western Europe, from Philadelphia in 2018. At the time, executives cited strong connecting flows over its partner British Airways' hub at London Heathrow (LHR) and Iberia in Madrid (MAD) among reasons to test the new markets.
The experiment worked. Budapest and Prague returned – and Budapest will gain a new nonstop to Chicago O'Hare (ORD) in 2020 – and American launched new seasonal service to Berlin (TXL), Bologna (BLQ) in Italy, Dubrovnik (DBV) in Croatia this summer.
American hopes Casablanca will create similar new flows in Africa. Royal Air Maroc will add roughly 34 new destinations in Africa to the Oneworld network when it joins the alliance next year. New connections for American include cities ranging from Abidjan (ABJ) in Ivory Coast, Bamako (BKO) in Mali, and Cotonou (COO) in Benin over Casablanca.
Related: What Royal Air Maroc Joining Oneworld Means for American Airlines Flyers
Oneworld spokeswoman Ghim-Lay Yeo confirms that Royal Air Maroc is on schedule to become a full alliance member in 2020. Its membership was announced in December 2018.
"There's a real value to us to have a partners hub to serve and develop markets," Raja told TPG in an interview Thursday. He was mum on potential future nonstop routes for American in Africa, reiterating that the new Casablanca route will allow the airline to test the market and see where demand is.
Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst and founder of Atmosphere Research Group, calls American's foray into Africa a "very pragmatic" approach to entering the market.
"This is the crawl, walk, run strategy," he said with the airline at the crawl stage with its Casablanca plans.
United is also looking to Africa for growth. The Star Alliance carrier will return to the continent with seasonal service to Cape Town (CPT) in South Africa from Newark Liberty (EWR) in December. The airline previously served Accra (ACC) in Ghana, and Lagos (LOS) in Nigeria.
Live fast, or die
"Our strategy is to fail fast, try new things and invest in what works," said Raja in the interview. Europe is an example of this where American is treating international markets more like domestic ones by going in with several weekly flights on a seasonal basis where it sees potential, then ramping up what works while dropping what does not.
Berlin and Dubrovnik are two markets that have worked. The carrier will return to both on a daily basis from Philadelphia in 2020, expanding service from just several weekly flights, he said.
Related: American Flies First Nonstop Flight From US to Croatia in 28 Years
On the flip side, Bologna has not worked. Raja said the route, which American is serving four times with a Boeing 767-300ER through Sept., has "struggled" and will not return in 2020. The airline's customers can continue to reach that region of Italy via its partnership with Iberia, he added.
American will test three more new routes to Europe next year. It will offer new seasonal flights to Budapest, Krakow (KRK) in Poland, and Prague with Boeing 787-8 aircraft from Chicago beginning in May.
- ORD – Budapest: four-times weekly from May 7 to Oct. 24
- ORD – Krakow: five-times weekly May 7 to Oct. 23
- ORD – Prague: five-times weekly May 8 to Oct. 24
Raja, speaking on the podcast, cites strong demand between Chicago and Eastern Europe for the flights. The Illinois city is home to the one of the largest Polish-American communities in the country, according to US Census data.
American will compete with Star Alliance member LOT Polish Airlines on both the Budapest and Krakow routes from Chicago, according to Diio by Cirium schedule data.
Israel redux
Rounding out American's transatlantic network additions next year is its return to Tel Aviv (TLV). The carrier will launch year-round daily service to the Israeli city from its Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) base on Sept. 9, 2020. It will operate a 787-9 on the route.
"Tel Aviv has been the largest unserved city in the American Airlines' network until now," said Raja on the podcast.
The airline took some flak when it exited Tel Aviv in 2016. At the time, it cited significant losses on the route that it inherited through its 2013 merger with US Airways.
Since American exited Tel Aviv, US competitors Delta Air Lines and United Airlines have ramped up service. Capacity on Delta will be up 14% and on United 68%, including new service from Washington Dulles (IAD), this year compared to 2016, Diio data shows.
Related: How to Get to Israel Using Points and Miles
Raja cited growing economic connections between North Texas and Tel Aviv, as well as connection opportunities between Israel and the Central US for the new route. American has grown its Dallas/Fort Worth hub to more than 900 daily flights this year, as part of an effort to focus growth in its most profitable hubs.
Depending on how the new DFW-Tel Aviv route performs, American could connect the city to its Miami (MIA), New York John F. Kennedy (JFK) and Philadelphia hubs in the future, added Raja.
"We don't have huge coastal hubs, but we have the best domestic network," Raja told TPG on the 2020 route additions. "Our pathway to developing international is different [from Delta and United] – we need to leverage that domestic network."
More is coming, he added, saying American is not ready to announce 2020 plans for either Latin America or the Pacific. These plans are likely to include two new flights to Tokyo Haneda tentatively awarded by US authorities.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 5X | New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Valuable dining and food-related credits
- Flexible rewards with airline and hotel transfer partners
- Multiple travel and purchase protections
- No foreign transaction fees
- Access to Amex Offers for additional savings (enrollment required)
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $8,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- New! Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotel stays booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked through AmexTravel.com, the Amex Travel App, or purchased directly from airlines.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid car rentals booked through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App and cruises booked and paid through AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- Pay It® lets you tap in the American Express® App to quickly pay for small purchase amounts throughout the month and still earn rewards the way you usually do. Plan It® gives you the option to split up big purchases into equal monthly payments with a fixed fee. You’ll know upfront exactly how much you’ll pay.
- Updated! $120 Dining Credit: Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at Grubhub (including Seamless), Buffalo Wild Wings, Five Guys, The Cheesecake Factory, and Wonder. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year at over 10,000 qualifying U.S. Resy restaurants after you pay for eligible purchases with the American Express® Gold Card. That’s up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: Earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin’ locations. Enrollment required.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Enjoy up to $120 in Uber Cash annually with your Gold Card. Just add your Card to your Uber account and you'll get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an Amex Card for your transaction.
- New! As an American Express® Gold Card Member, you can enjoy complimentary Hertz Five Star® Status. Enjoy benefits like skipping the counter at select locations, adding an additional driver at no additional cost*, and vehicle upgrades**. Benefit enrollment and Hertz Gold+ registration are required. *Additional drivers must meet standard rental qualifications and must be a spouse or domestic partner to qualify as complimentary. Other additional drivers subject to fees. **Benefits are subject to availability and vary by location. Additional Hertz program Terms and Conditions including age restrictions apply.
- Take advantage of a $100 credit towards eligible charges* at over 1,300 upscale hotels worldwide when you book The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com or the Amex Travel App **. *Eligible charges vary by property. **The Hotel Collection requires a two-night minimum stay.
- Book your travel through the Amex Travel App with added peace of mind – backed by American Express® service and support. Only for American Express® Card Members.
- Whenever you need us, we're here. Our Member Services team will ensure you are taken care of. From lost Card replacement to statement questions, we are available to help 24/7.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.