American Airlines adds 4 LaGuardia routes, growing presence in NYC
American Airlines is growing in its New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA) hub with new "sun-and-fun" destinations.
The carrier is adding four routes from LGA this winter, as first seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by a carrier spokesperson.
All four routes are to popular warm-weather destinations, three of which are cities in Florida. American will fly twice daily to Orlando and West Palm Beach and once daily to New Orleans and Sarasota, Florida.
These new routes begin on Nov. 5, 2024, and run through May 4, 2025.
Loyalty basics: Best ways to earn airline miles
All four routes technically mark resumptions for the carrier, but the flights haven't operated consistently in years. American last flew from LaGuardia to New Orleans in 2008, but it has flown the other routes more recently.
Orlando service last operated in 2021; the Sarasota and West Palm Beach routes have been flown on and off during peak winter periods over the past few seasons, Cirium schedules show.
That said, there is a unique theme among this batch of new destinations; they are all leisure-focused cities popular among winter-weary travelers in the Northeast.
In fact, all four of them are also destinations already served from LaGuardia by other airlines. Delta Air Lines, which also operates an LGA hub, flies to all four cities; JetBlue Airways flies to Orlando and West Palm Beach. Southwest Airlines also flies to New Orleans, and Spirit Airlines flies to Orlando.
That said, JetBlue — which operates a focus city at LGA — recently announced that it would exit some LGA routes and cut capacity on others, including New Orleans and Orlando. This means American will have less competition on these new routes.
Perhaps most interestingly, in order to add flights at the capacity-constrained LGA, American needs slots, or takeoff and landing permissions, to support each flight. Airlines can't just pick up these slots on an ad-hoc basis, so it's typically a zero-sum game when carriers add flights at slot-restricted airports like LaGuardia.
However, American is making no cuts from its LGA hub as part of this announcement. Turns out, the airline is actually picking up the slots coming from the break-up of the Northeast Alliance with JetBlue.
American lent slots to JetBlue to boost the carrier's presence at LaGuardia. However, since the partnership was deemed anti-competitive by a federal judge last year, JetBlue needed to return American's slots back to its rightful owner as part of the wind-down process.
Slots are typically use-it-or-lose-it, so if American didn't add new routes, it could possibly lose access to these lucrative slots.
While American could "slot-squat" by adding short and relatively inexpensive-to-operate regional flights (like service from LGA to Hartford), the carrier seemingly thinks it can turn a profit on some of these popular winter destinations.
Map watching: The award for 'sexiest new route' of the year goes to ...
It remains to be seen how these flights will perform, though. In recent months, airlines nationwide have consistently complained about overcapacity in some of the most popular leisure destinations, leading to downward pressure on fares.
Of course, another upside for American to launch these routes is that the airline can boost its competitiveness in New York City — a place that some aviation observers say the airline has neglected in recent years. That's especially true now that the Northeast Alliance is history, and American needs to compete on its own for relevance in the market.
At the end of the day, travelers will have more choices as airlines face more competition on these four routes. This will hopefully lead to lower fares and more award availability in these markets during the winter.
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