American Airlines adds 2 brand-new destinations in 7-route expansion

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American Airlines is starting to make winter plans with seven new routes, including two new destinations.

American's two new destinations are Santa Maria Airport (SMX) on California's Central Coast and Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN) in Sun Valley, Idaho. From Sun Valley, the carrier will add service to its hubs at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). Santa Maria will get one nonstop route — a link to American's Phoenix hub.

Beyond those, American is adding four other new routes that will bolster its service at Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in Fort Myers, Florida; Missoula Montana Airport (MSO); and Santa Fe Regional Airport (SAF) in New Mexico.

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Here are the details of American's new routes:

Fort Myers to Phoenix: Daily on a Boeing 737 from Nov. 20 through Dec. 3, and from Dec. 18 through Jan. 6, 2026.
Missoula to Chicago: Daily on an Embraer E175 from Dec. 18 (American currently flies from Missoula to Chicago seasonally during the summer).
Santa Fe to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX): Daily on a Bombardier CRJ700 from Oct. 6.
Santa Fe to Chicago: Daily on a CRJ700 from Dec. 18 through Jan. 6, 2026.
Santa Maria to Phoenix: Twice daily on a Bombardier CRJ900 from Oct. 16.
Sun Valley to Chicago: Daily on a CRJ700 from Dec. 18 through April 6, 2026.
Sun Valley to Phoenix: Daily on a CRJ700 from Dec. 18 through April 6, 2026.

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Ticket sales for American's new routes begin June 30.

Most of American's new markets are well-established beach or mountain destinations. Sun Valley, for example, is known for its popular ski resort and is already served by Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.

Santa Maria stands out as unique. The California city is near Vandenberg Space Force Base between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. The airport is only served by Allegiant Air with twice-weekly flights to Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), schedule data from aviation analytics firm Cirium shows.

United was the last major airline to serve Santa Maria, with regional flights to San Francisco that ended in 2016, according to Cirium.

American has shown a willingness to try unique smaller domestic destinations in recent years. It added Provo Airport (PVU) in Utah in 2024, and McClellan-Palomar Airport (CLD) in Carlsbad, California, north of San Diego, earlier this year.

The carrier was planning to grow scheduled capacity by a percent in the "low single digits" this year compared to 2024. However, it suspended its outlook in April following the slowdown in domestic travel.

One thing going for American on its new routes: little competition. It only faces United on the Chicago-Missoula and Chicago-Sun Valley routes.

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Featured image by ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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