American Airlines Adds Caribbean Routes From New York JFK
American Airlines' once expansive Caribbean gateway at New York JFK is coming back just a bit this winter with new routes to Costa Rica and Jamaica.
The Oneworld Alliance carrier will add daily service to Montego Bay (MBJ) in Jamaica and San Jose (SJO) in Costa Rica from JFK on Nov. 21, and weekly service to Liberia (LIR), Costa Rica, on Dec. 21, the company announced today. All three routes will be flown with a Boeing 737-800.
The Caribbean additions join Richmond, Virginia, among new destinations that American plans to add at JFK this winter.
Related: Choosing the Best Credit Card for American Airlines Flyers
American has slimmed its operation at JFK over the past year, ending service to Denver (DEN); Dublin, Ireland (DUB); Orlando, Florida (MCO); and Port-au-Prince, Haiti (PAP). The reductions have come as it has focused capacity growth on its most profitable hubs in Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth and Washington Reagan National.
The airline is scheduled to cut capacity by 6.7% at JFK this year, following a nearly 4% reduction in 2018, according to schedule data from Diio by Cirium. It plans to grow system capacity by roughly 2.5% this year.
American will compete with Caribbean Airlines, Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways on the JFK-Montego Bay route, the Diio data shows. In addition, United Airlines serves all three destinations from nearby Newark Liberty (EWR).
Separately from the new JFK routes, American will extend its seasonal service between Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and San Salvador (SAL), El Salvador, and New York LaGuardia (LGA) and Aruba (AUA) to year round this winter. It will also add a second daily flight between Dallas/Fort Worth and San Juan (SJU), Puerto Rico.
American has served the JFK-Montego Bay and JFK-San Jose routes previously, ending the former in 2011 and the latter in 2015, according to Diio schedule data.
