American Airlines adds 8 new and expanded leisure-focused routes
American Airlines is back with another round of route adjustments.
On Friday, the Fort Worth-based carrier unveiled a slew of new leisure-focused routes from its Philadelphia (PHL) hub for the summer schedule.
Specifically, the carrier confirmed the following four new routes...
- Philadelphia (PHL) to Daytona Beach, Florida (DAB)
- Philadelphia (PHL) to Salt Lake City (SLC)
- Philadelphia (PHL) to Santiago, Dominican Republic (STI)
- Philadelphia (PHL) to Traverse City, Michigan (TVC)
... and expanded service on the following four routes:
- Philadelphia (PHL) to Hilton Head, South Carolina (HHH)
- Philadelphia (PHL) to Key West, Florida (EYW)
- Philadelphia (PHL) to Nantucket, Massachusetts (ACK)
- Philadelphia (PHL) to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (SDQ)
Three of the four new routes will be operated daily. Santiago service — a new American route from Philadelphia — will be limited to a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule on a mix of the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 fleet from April 2 to Aug. 16.
The three new domestic routes will be operated daily beginning June 3. American Eagle partner PSA Airlines will fly the Daytona Beach and Traverse City flights with a TK-seat CRJ-700.
Cirium schedules show that American began Philly to Daytona Beach service in December 2020, so it's clearly been performing well enough for the carrier to extend the service through the summer. Traverse City is a new American route from Philadelphia, per Cirium timetables.
Salt Lake City service will also start June 3 and continue year-round aboard an Airbus A320. Cirium schedules show that American converted Philadelphia to Salt Lake City service to seasonal during the winter of 2018, so it's been roughly three years since the carrier flew to the Utah capitol during the summer.
The four routes with expanded service were all previously planned for once-weekly Saturday flights. Now, they'll be flown daily, except for Santo Domingo, which will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Key West flights are year-round; the others will be operated seasonally during the summer.
American Airlines has been busy over the past few weeks, adding new routes and boosting service to leisure-focused destinations.
In e arly January, the carrier unveiled new flights from Philadelphia to two Florida destinations — Panama City (ECP) and Destin-Fort Walton Beach (VPS), as well as a third route from Boston (BOS) to Hilton Head, South Carolina (HHH).
One week later, American expanded service from its Dallas/Fort Worth mega-hub to both Daytona Beach and St. George, Utah, among other schedule updates.
Other airlines: Delta charges into leisure markets with latest route shakeup
The common theme across all the latest route adjustments is the focus on outdoor-friendly destinations with plenty of room for social distancing.
With the pandemic raging, airlines are boosting service on leisure-focused routes in the hopes of capturing the limited demand that's flying right now.
Just this week, Southwest unveiled four new Florida and Hawaii routes, while United boosted its Denver hub with a four-route Florida expansion.
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel |
| 2X miles | Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day |
Pros
- Stellar welcome offer of 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening. Plus, a $250 Capital One Travel credit to use in your first cardholder year upon account opening.
- You'll earn 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, which means you won't have to worry about memorizing bonus categories
- Rewards are versatile and can be redeemed for a statement credit or transferred to Capital One’s transfer partners
Cons
- Highest bonus-earning categories only on travel booked via Capital One Travel
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Enjoy $250 to use on Capital One Travel in your first cardholder year, plus earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening - that’s equal to $1,000 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
- Enjoy a $50 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Lifestyle Collection
- Transfer your miles to your choice of 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Top rated mobile app