American adds new cross-country route from Miami to Orange County
American Airlines is boosting its presence in Miami with the addition of an exciting new transcontinental route.
The carrier will commence daily flights between Miami International Airport (MIA) and John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County, California, on Jan. 8. Flights will be available for sale by Monday, Sept. 4.
American's new flight will depart Miami at 8:30 a.m. and land in Orange County at 11:30 a.m., all times local. It'll then depart at 12:30 p.m. and arrive back in Miami at 8:20 p.m.
The airline will deploy a 172-seat Boeing 737 featuring 16 first-class seats and 156 economy seats. This 2,310-mile route will take about five to six hours, so it'll be a tight squeeze in American's Oasis configuration.
The move comes as American has been busy boosting its operation in Miami, where it faces increasing pressure from rivals like Delta and Spirit — both of whom have added new Miami routes and destinations in recent months.
“As Miami’s Hometown Airline we’re proud to offer our customers great service options not only internationally, but domestically as well with flights that reach coast to coast,” Juan Carlos Liscano, American’s vice president of Miami hub operations, said in a statement.
This new Orange County service joins two other transcontinental routes that are launching later this year from Miami. American will add flights to Portland on Nov. 5, followed by service to Sacramento, which will take off on Dec. 20.
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Miami International Airport (MIA) has seen some impressive growth in recent months from a host of airlines, but nothing comes close to what Spirit Airlines has brought to the market.
The ultra-low-cost carrier entered Miami for the first time in October 2021, and it brought low fares to 30 new nonstop destinations.
While Spirit now goes head-to-head against American on many routes, the Fort Worth-based carrier is also up against some formidable competition from the nascent joint-venture partnership between Delta Air Lines and South American juggernaut LATAM.
Those two carriers officially combined forces in late 2019, pulling LATAM from American and the Oneworld alliance. Now that the tie-up has been approved by regulators, Delta and LATAM are well on their way to turning Miami into a gateway hub for access to Latin America — a region that American used to dominate.
Nevertheless, American is still the dominant market leader in Miami, with around 380 peak daily departures this winter. (In July, American unveiled a big expansion in Miami, adding eight new routes and one new international destination.)
On the West Coast, adding more service to Orange County will let American further tap into one of the most affluent catchment areas in the country. During the pandemic, the airline added service to SNA from New York (onboard the swanky Airbus A321T) and from Charlotte, in addition to flights to Austin, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth and Phoenix.
Securing takeoff and landing rights in Orange County is notoriously competitive. SNA is popular among locals and visitors who want to avoid the much larger and busier Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
The Orange County authorities use slots to limit the amount of air traffic in the area. Though there's no federally administered slot program at SNA in the traditional sense (to control capacity), local officials cap commercial passenger traffic for noise abatement and other reasons.
Each year, airport authorities release an allocation of daily flights, known as ADDs, that each airline can fly. American won 19 ADDs for 2023.
It wasn't immediately clear whether American was cutting frequencies on another route to make room for the new Miami flight.
In other route news, American will cease flying from Philadelphia to Charlottesville, Virginia, on Jan. 7. 2024, as first seen in Cirium schedules.
Related reading:
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- Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
- The best credit cards to reach elite status
- Everything you need to know about flying basic economy on American Airlines
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| 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. |
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
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 $6,000 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.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.