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American Airlines adds 8 new and expanded leisure-focused routes

Jan. 29, 2021
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3 min read
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American Airlines adds 8 new and expanded leisure-focused routes
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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.

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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.

American Airlines' flyers will experience the new SLC Airport (Photo by Zach Griff/The Points Guy)

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.

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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Why We Chose It

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  • 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.