American Airlines adds long-haul Hawaii route once again
Hawaii's Big Island may be the next airline network planner battleground.
American Airlines filed plans over the weekend to relaunch service between Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keahole (KOA) beginning Nov. 20, as first seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by a carrier spokesperson.
American's Dallas-to-Kona route will operate seasonally through Feb. 28, 2026. Note that American will operate daily flights on this 3,724-mile route from Nov. 20, 2025, through Jan. 6, 2026, before taking a short six-week hiatus until resuming daily flights again Feb. 12, 2026.
The airline will deploy a 234-seat Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner featuring 20 Flagship Business pods, 28 premium economy recliners, 48 extra-legroom Main Cabin Extra seats and 138 standard economy seats on the route.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier last operated this route in January 2022, according to Cirium schedules.
American's plan to relaunch its Dallas-to-Kona service follows another major expansion on the Big Island.
Last week, Delta Air Lines announced that it, too, would add a new Kona route, this time from Salt Lake City. Delta's service will operate using a Boeing 767-300ER.
Save money: How you can book flights to Hawaii using points and miles in 2025
The Big Island may not be as popular with tourists (or airline network planners) as Oahu and Maui, but seeing all the attention it has gotten from the airlines over the past few days is interesting.
While there may not be a sudden uptick in demand for travel to the Big Island, carriers need to find a home for their wide-body jets during the winter season. That's when transatlantic traffic declines and airlines have spare capacity on their biggest planes.
In recent years, Oceania has proved to be a popular spot to send twin-aisle planes during the Northern Hemisphere's winter season, as have some hot spots in Africa, like Marrakech, Morocco.
But with its appeal to sunseekers, Hawaii has long been a popular bet for airline network planners. As such, it'll be interesting to see how all the new service performs.
In fact, this weekend, American also added a second daily flight from DFW to Maui's Kahului Airport (OGG) during the peak winter season. This is seemingly another play to deploy wide-body aircraft on the most appropriate routes this winter.
Ultimately, flyers will be the winners, as new airline service means more competition and, ultimately, more frequent fare wars and upgrade and award availability.
Related reading:
- Your ultimate guide to American Airlines AAdvantage
- Best credit cards for American Airlines flyers
- American Airlines elite status: What it is and how to earn it
- Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
- The best credit cards to reach elite status
- American Airlines basic economy: What you need to know about bags, seats, boarding and more
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees