American unveils 4 new long-haul routes, major expansion for next summer
With September just a few weeks away, it's time to start thinking about all the trips you want to take next year.
As you plot your adventures for summer 2024, American Airlines will offer a handful of new seasonal routes and destinations to take you there.
The Fort Worth-based carrier on Thursday unveiled a major expansion for the upcoming summer season, which includes three all-new destinations, one new route and a service resumption.
Here are the details. Note that all of the new flights will be available for sale starting on Sunday, Aug. 20.
3 brand-new destinations
American's expansion is headlined by the addition of three new route-map pins, all of which are in Europe.
This includes:
- Copenhagen
- Naples, Italy
- Nice, France
The carrier will fly daily nonstop flights to all three of these destinations from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). Service to Nice begins on May 6, followed by Naples on June 5 and Copenhagen on June 6.
American will exclusively deploy the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on all three new routes. It will use the -8 variant — which features 20 Flagship Business pods, 28 premium economy recliners and 186 economy seats — to Naples.
Meanwhile, the other two routes will be operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which features 30 Flagship Business pods, 21 premium economy recliners and 234 economy seats.
As far as the onboard experience goes, American's -9 Dreamliners feature a top-notch reverse herringbone business-class product. The smaller "baby" -8 Dreamliners feature a mix of business-class products (one of which is arranged in an alternating forward- and rear-facing configuration). There's no telling which aircraft configuration will operate your flight.
In total, American will offer 15 daily nonstop flights from PHL to 14 European destinations next summer, representing its largest transatlantic schedule from Philadelphia since 2019.
That's major news for the city and for the long-term viability of this Northeast hub. American hasn't necessarily shown much love to Philly since it acquired the hub as part of the merger with US Airways.
For years, the airline hadn't added much new Philly service, especially throughout its Northeast Alliance with JetBlue, which saw a slew of new transatlantic services added from New York.
Now that the Northeast Alliance is dead, American seems to be turning its attention back to Philadelphia.
Earlier this month, the airline shifted the gateway for its splashy Doha route from New York to Philadelphia. It's possible that further expansions are in the works as American crystallizes its long-haul strategy.
As part of the Philly growth, the airline will also resume its PHL to San Antonio route next summer. This will boost the number of one-stop itineraries the airline can offer.
While Philly typically doesn't suffer from the same air traffic-related delays that American's New York hubs do, there is one downside to all this expansion in Philadelphia: There's still no Flagship Lounge in the city.
Philly is one of American's only long-haul hubs without a business-class-only lounge. Now that the airline seems focused once again on boosting long-haul service from PHL, hopefully, it will accelerate the construction that stopped years ago.
"We continue our commitment to offer customers a premium experience in the Philadelphia International Airport and will share more updates on the Flagship Lounge as they become available. Customers can continue to access the Admirals Club lounges in terminals A, B/C, and F," an American Airlines spokesperson shared in a statement.
1 new route
Aside from the new destinations, American will also add its fifth gateway — Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) — to Barcelona next summer.
The carrier will launch a new daily service on this 5,195-mile route beginning on June 5, operated by a Boeing 777-200. It features 37 Flagship Business pods, 24 premium economy recliners and 212 economy seats. (Much like the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, American offers two wildly different business-class products in the pointy end of the plane.)
Expanding service to Barcelona is seemingly a no-brainer. There's plenty of demand in the summer for this popular European city, and with the strength of American's mega-hub at DFW, it shouldn't have much of an issue filling the plane.
Service resumption and adjustments
While much of the focus is on the new routes and destinations, American is also boosting service on a plethora of existing routes. The full details are available in the table below.
The highlight is perhaps the service resumption from Chicago to Venice, Italy — a route that hasn't operated since 2019.
| Origin | Destination | Service Notes | Aircraft Type |
|---|---|---|---|
DFW | BCN | New daily service begins June 5, 2024 | Boeing 777-200 |
ORD | Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) | Resuming daily service on June 5, 2024 | Boeing 787-8 |
ORD | Athens International Airport (ATH) | Earlier seasonal restart on May 6, 2024 | Boeing 787-9 |
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) | Dublin Airport (DUB) | Earlier seasonal restart on March 5, 2024 | Boeing 777-200 |
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) | ATH | Earlier seasonal restart on March 31, 2024 | Boeing 777-200 |
PHL | VCE | Earlier seasonal restart on April 4, 2024 | Boeing 787-8 |
CLT | Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) | Expanding to year-round service | Boeing 777-200 |
DFW | DUB | Expanding to year-round service | Boeing 787-8 (winter) and Boeing 777-200 (summer) |
DFW | Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO) | Expanding to year-round service | Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 |
PHL | BCN | Expanding to year-round service | Boeing 787-8 |
PHL | Lisbon Airport (LIS) | Expanding to year-round service | Boeing 787-8 (winter) and 787-9 (summer) |
All told, this announcement represents American's largest European expansion since 2019, and it's sure to please loyal flyers who've been craving some long-haul growth from the airline in recent years.
American has suffered from repeated delivery delays on new aircraft, and its network breadth has suffered because of it.
Now, it seems like things should all be settled by next year, and you'll soon find an American Airlines jet in more European cities than ever before.
To facilitate the expansion, American is making some minor tweaks to its currently published schedule. This includes suspending service from Dallas/Fort Worth to Santiago, Chile, for next summer, as well as reducing frequencies on the following three routes:
- Dallas/Fort Worth to Paris (from two times to one time daily)
- Miami to London (from two times to one time daily)
- New York to Rome (from up to two times to one time daily)
Finally, the airline is also making a few changes to its winter schedule to Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America.
You can find all of the details in the table below. This expansion builds on American's largest-ever schedule between the U.S. and these regions.
| Origin | Destination | Service Notes | Aircraft Type |
|---|---|---|---|
CLT | North Eleuthera Airport (ELH) | Expand to daily flights from Feb. 15 to April 3 | Bombardier CRJ 700 |
CLT | Exuma International Airport (GGT) | Expand to daily flights from Feb. 15 to April 3 | Bombardier CRJ 900 |
CLT | Leonard M. Thompson International Airport (MHH) | Expand to daily flights from Feb. 15 to April 3 | Embraer E175 |
DFW | Ezeiza International Airport (EZE) | Expand to daily flights starting Oct. 29 | Boeing 787-9 |
DFW | Cozumel International Airport (CZM) | Expand to two daily flights from Jan. 8 to April 3 | Boeing 737-800 |
DFW | Lynden Pindling International Airport (NAS) | Expand to daily flights starting Feb. 15 | Boeing 737-800 |
Miami International Airport (MIA) | Clayton J. Lloyd Airport (AXA) | Expand to two daily flights from Jan. 8 to April 3 | Embraer E175 |
MIA | Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI) | Expand to three daily flights from Jan. 8 to April 3 | Boeing 737-800 |
MIA | Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) | Expand to three daily flights from Jan. 8 to April 3 | Boeing 737-800 |
MIA | Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport (EIS) | Expand to three flights on Saturdays from Jan. 8 to April 3 | Embraer E175 |
Related reading:
- Your ultimate guide to American Airlines AAdvantage
- Best credit cards for American Airlines flyers
- What is American Airlines elite status worth?
- 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
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