American adds 2 new ski routes, shuffles international service from NYC and Miami
The network planners at American Airlines have been busy making adjustments to the winter schedule.
Over the weekend, the Fort Worth-based carrier filed two new seasonal ski routes, shuffled international service from New York and boosted the airline's longest flight from Miami, as first seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by an airline spokesperson.
Changes for ski season 2022-2023
American is making some notable changes to its domestic network ahead of the ski season.
The airline will launch new service between Austin (AUS) and Vail/Eagle (EGE) beginning on Dec. 15. Regional affiliate SkyWest Airlines will fly a 65-seat CRJ-700 on the 835-mile route.
American will also add a new route from its Miami (MIA) hub to Jackson Hole (JAC) beginning on Dec. 15. The airline will deploy a 128-seat Airbus A319 on the route.
Both new routes will operate daily between Dec. 15 and Jan. 9, weekly between Jan. 10 and Feb. 15 and then daily between Feb. 16 and April 3.
American will also extend the season for its daily service between Los Angeles (LAX) and Bozeman (BZN). The airline will fly the route during the peak holiday period from Dec. 15 through Jan. 2 and then from Feb. 16 through April 3.
At the same time, the airline is canceling several routes that it was originally selling for the winter season, including:
- Philadelphia (PHL) — Vail/Eagle (EGE)
- New York (JFK) — Jackson Hole (JAC)
- Chicago (ORD) — Montrose (MTJ)
- Los Angeles (LAX) — Montrose (MTJ)
Perhaps most interesting is that American is continuing to expand in Austin, a city that's seen explosive growth from the carrier during the pandemic.
The airline unveiled two major tranches of network expansions in the Texas state capital last year. It started in March 2021 when the carrier doubled down on the city with 10 new routes. Three months later, American followed up with 14 additional new routes, including a mix of domestic and international destinations to cities in Mexico, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.
The carrier has continued to add additional service from Austin in smaller network updates, and it also plans to open a brand-new Admirals Club in the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
Shuffling service at New York-JFK
Separately, American is making some notable adjustments to its international network from its hub at New York-JFK.
The airline is canceling service from JFK to Bogota (BOG) effective Nov. 3 due to "reduced demand," according to a statement from a carrier spokesperson. This route was originally added when the airline kicked off the Northeast Alliance with JetBlue back in mid-2021.
While American will no longer fly to Bogota from New York, the airline will continue serving the Colombian capital from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and Miami.
In place of the Bogota route, the airline will launch new service from JFK to Mexico City (MEX) on Nov. 3. The carrier will deploy a 172-seat Boeing 737 MAX 8 on the new daily flight.
The airline is seemingly hopeful that there'll be more demand to Mexico City than there was to Bogota. That said, American will face stiff competition on the 2,090-mile route: it'll go head-to-head with Mexican flag carrier Aeromexico, ultra-low-cost discounter VivaAerobus and Delta Air Lines.
Interestingly, American already canceled the two other new routes that it launched to Colombia as part of the Northeast Alliance. In May, the carrier announced plans to terminate service between New York-JFK and both Cali (CLO) and Medellin (MDE) in Colombia.
Israel gets a big boost
Finally, there's some good news for American's longest route from Miami. Starting on Oct. 29, the carrier will upgrade its MIA to Tel Aviv (TLV) flight to daily service.
The route first launched in June 2021 with a three-times-weekly frequency, and it's clearly performed well enough for American to now upgrade it to daily service.
However, the airline is downgauging the aircraft from a 273-seat Boeing 777-200 to a 234-seat Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner when daily service commences in October.
For premium passengers, that'll mean 17 fewer business-class pods, but four additional premium economy recliners. All but four of American's 787-8 Dreamliners are outfitted with the Safran Concept D business-class product, which many flyers consider to be inferior to the Collins Aerospace Super Diamond ones that you can find on 28 of the airline's Boeing 777-200s. (The other 19 Boeing 777-200s feature the Concept D product.)
Before the pandemic, American hadn't flown to Tel Aviv since January 2016. Now, it serves Israel from two hubs — JFK and MIA; these routes were launched on May 6, 2021, and June 4, 2021, respectively.
The airline had plans to add a third Tel Aviv route, three times weekly from its DFW mega-hub on Nov. 1, 2021, but it was delayed multiple times before being scrapped altogether in May.
And now, American is now making up for some of the capacity it lost when it canceled plans to launch the DFW to Tel Aviv flight.
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