Boeing delays force American Airlines to suspend 3 European routes, delay Flagship Suite
American Airlines cannot catch a break from Boeing's production woes.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier will temporarily suspend three routes to Europe this summer and again push back the introduction of its new Flagship Suite business class as a result of the latest delivery delays plaguing the Boeing 787, an American spokesperson confirmed to TPG on Friday.
"As a result of ongoing Boeing 787 delivery delays, American is adjusting service on certain routes in summer 2025 to ensure we are able to reaccommodate customers on affected flights," the spokesperson said. "We'll be proactively reaching out to our impacted customers to offer alternate travel arrangements and remain committed to mitigating the impact of these Boeing delays while continuing to offer a comprehensive global network."
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The three suspended transatlantic routes are:
- Miami International Airport (MIA) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) from May through July
- Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Frankfurt Airport (FRA) in June
- New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) in July
This is a well-trod path for American. Delays to 787 deliveries in late 2021 forced it to cut Edinburgh, Scotland; Hong Kong; and Shannon, Ireland, from its map the following year. Production challenges have continued to plague Boeing and forced additional cuts to long-haul flying at American in the years since.
American's long-haul schedule is uniquely susceptible to Boeing delays compared to other airlines. During the coronavirus pandemic, American took advantage of the dramatic drop in international travel to accelerate plans to streamline its long-haul fleet and retired its Airbus A330 and Boeing 757 and 767 planes.
Now, the airline's international expansion is limited by Boeing's inability to hand over new 787s in a timely manner.
American was scheduled to receive 10 787-9s this year, its latest fleet plan from October shows.
The latest delivery delays also mean the introduction of American's new Flagship Suite business class is delayed again. CEO Robert Isom said Jan. 23 that the seats would begin flying this year but did not say when. The spokesperson would not specify when in 2025 the new product might debut.
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The Flagship Suite product is part of a larger overhaul of American's premium offerings that also includes new premium economy seats. It will, however, mark the end of long-haul first class at American; the airline plans to remove Flagship First from its Boeing 777-300ER planes when they are refitted with the new Flagship Suite.
American's first Airbus A321XLRs will also feature the Flagship Suite when deliveries begin later in 2025. These planes will initially fly on premium transcontinental flights between New York and both Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Even with the schedule reductions, American will continue to serve all its European destinations, including Edinburgh via a new service, this summer. It will fly to Frankfurt from Charlotte; Madrid from Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Miami and Philadelphia; and Paris from Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, New York and Philadelphia, schedules from aviation analytics firm Cirium show.
American will also offer fewer frequencies on certain other routes this summer, including between Philadelphia and Rome, and Dallas and London.
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