American Airlines reinforces Hilton Head dominance with new routes

American Airlines is reinforcing its position at the top of the pack in Hilton Head, South Carolina, with new flights to Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth and Philadelphia next spring.

The Oneworld Alliance carrier will launch the new seasonal service between its three hubs to Hilton Head (HHH) on March 7, the South Carolina airport said and Diio by Cirium schedules show. Flights on each route will operate once a week on Saturdays with 76-seat Embraer 175 aircraft.

American's new Chicago O'Hare (ORD), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and Philadelphia (PHL) flights complement its existing service between Hilton Head and Charlotte (CLT) and Washington National (DCA), according to Diio.

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The new flights reinforce American's leading position in the Hilton Head market. The carrier will be about a third larger than its closest competitor, Delta Air Lines, Diio schedules for the summer of 2020 show.

American will compete with United Airlines to Chicago. The Star Alliance carrier began seasonal Hilton Head flights in March, and will offer them again from next April through September, United spokesman Jonathan Guerin said.

Hilton Head joins the likes of Casablanca and Tokyo Haneda with new or additional service from American next year. The carrier has said that it will focus domestic expansion at its Charlotte hub in 2020, following growth at Dallas/Fort Worth this year and a planned expansion in Washington in 2021.

American has yet to provide guidance on its growth plans for 2020. However, the many expect the anticipated re-introduction of the Boeing 737 MAX in January to result in elevated capacity growth at the airline, as well other operators, next year.