American unveils 17 new routes, goes all-Boeing 777 between Miami and JFK in big summer expansion
American Airlines is busy rebuilding its route network.
On Wednesday, the Fort Worth-based carrier finalized its summer schedule, offering travelers more than 150 total new routes, additional wide-body flying and capacity at levels just a few percentage points away from the highs of 2019.
Let's take a look at the details.
American goes all-in on theme parks
If you're planning a visit to Mickey Mouse, odds are better than ever that American Airlines will have a flight for you.
"We're offering 51 departures to Orlando on Saturdays this summer. That's 2% additional capacity compared to the same period in 2019," said Brian Znotins, American's vice president of network planning in an interview with TPG.
To support the pent-up leisure demand, American is adding eight new Saturday-only nonstops to Orlando (MCO), from the following cities:
- Birmingham, Alabama (BHM)
- Dayton, Ohio (DAY)
- Indianapolis (IND)
- Louisville (SDF)
- Memphis (MEM)
- Nashville (BNA)
- Pittsburgh (PIT)
- Raleigh-Durham (RDU)
All flights will be operated by American Eagle partners on the Embraer 175 aircraft from June 5 through Aug. 14.
The eight new Orlando routes join the airline's previously announced daily service from Austin, which is slated to begin on May 6 with a Boeing 737-800.
Despite Disney World and other theme parks operating with reduced capacity, Znotins believes that "I think it's just pent-up demand. People want to go somewhere fun, sunny and nice, and they're working around the limitations... What helps is that Orlando won't be full of Parisians and Britons, so it frees up some capacity at otherwise constrained resorts."
Related: 11 changes to expect at Disney World in 2021
Eight new routes to the great outdoors
In addition to the Orlando flights, American will add a host of other routes for the summer.
The carrier will fly between Nashville (BNA) and Raleigh-Durham (RDU) beginning on June 2 on a daily basis using both the Airbus A319 and Embraer 175. American will go head-to-head with Southwest on the route, which currently plans two daily departures this summer.
Turns out, according to Department of Transportation data analyzed by Cirium, the BNA-RDU route was in the top quartile in estimated profitability across Southwest's network in 2019. AA's likely hoping to capture some of the valuable market share when it launches service.
Raleigh-Durham will also get a new Saturday-only flight to Destin-Fort Walton Beach (VPS) between June 5 and Aug. 15. American won't face any competition on this 582-mile route to one of Florida's most popular beach destinations.
Austin will also get its eleventh new AA route, when service to Nassau, Bahamas (NAS), launches on Saturdays between June 5 and Aug. 14. American recently unveiled a major Austin-focused expansion aimed at capturing both business and leisure travelers headed to and from the rapidly growing Texas capital.
From Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), American will launch leisure-focused flights to both Bangor, Maine (BGR), and Burlington, Vermont (BTV).
Miami (MIA) is also a winner with three new Saturday-only routes to Bangor, Maine (BGR), Huntsville, Alabama (HSV), Milwaukee (MKE) and Rochester, New York (ROC).
More American route news: The longest Hawaii flight just got a big schedule boost
The 777s are coming in hot
Instead of parking wide-body jets in the desert, AA will deploy them on some strategic domestic routes.
This includes Miami (MIA) to both Los Angeles (LAX) and New York-JFK, which will exclusively be operated by 777s this summer. The upgauge isn't coming at the expense of frequency — Znotins told TPG that American will fly two more daily MIA-JFK flights this summer, compared to 2019.
Flying a wide-body on a domestic route isn't necessarily the most economical move. "If you have a wide-body plane, you bought that aircraft for long-haul flying... I can fly two [single-aisle] Airbus A320s or A321s for the same price as one wide-body on a per-seat basis. Economically, if I can offer two different schedule options on a narrow-body... that'll be better for passenger choice than a single domestic wide-body."
So, why is American adding domestic wide-body service nowadays? After all, AA recently upgauged a variety of unexpected routes, including Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and Chicago (ORD) to Anchorage (ANC), MIA to Boston (BOS) and DFW to Seattle (SEA).
Znotins said that the government’s Payroll Support Program has allowed American to have both crews and widebodies “at the ready" to fly this summer as a rebound in domestic travel looms.
"And now we can offer as much capacity as we can given the infrastructure that we have," he added.
American's move to increase domestic wide-body service will give travelers access to more premium seats. These jets feature AA's lie-flat business-class product, as well as a premium economy cabin with recliners. Plus, each plane is equipped with seat-back screens and power outlets, making for a much more comfortable ride across all cabins.
More: How to fly American Airlines best lie-flat seat domestically
Getting much closer to 2019 travel levels
It's no secret that domestic travel is rebounding.
American is hopeful that the strong demand will continue into the summer. In fact, AA's planning to fly more than 90% of its domestic seat capacity as compared to summer 2019. Of course, the lucrative business travel segment hasn't meaningfully returned yet. Instead, it's mostly pandemic-weary vacationers looking for flights to the beach or national parks.
The recovery in international travel is still in its infancy. Despite American planning just 20% less capacity in networkwide international flying this summer compared to 2019, the numbers differ greatly by destination.
"We're going to be down 71% in seats in Western Europe versus 2019. Japan is down 79%. Eastern Europe we won't fly at all," Znotins said. Due to low demand, American won't fly to Edinburgh (EDI), Scotland; Shannon, Ireland (SNN); or Hong Kong (HKG) this summer.
Closer to home, the picture is much rosier. Znotins told TPG that countries like Colombia, Peru and Mexico are doing well. American plans double the number of seats to Colombia this summer than it had in the summer of 2019.
The rebound in short-haul international travel is primarily driven by both strong VFR (visiting friends and relatives) traffic, as well as leisure-focused tourism. Despite the CDC's new COVID-19 testing policy for flights headed to the U.S., many resorts have adapted to the new reality by offering free testing and quarantine options, should a traveler come down with the virus while on vacation.
To match capacity to demand, American will deploy the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, as well as the 777-200, on select frequencies from Miami (MIA) to a variety of short-haul international destinations, including:
- Cali, Colombia (CLO) (Boeing 787-8)
- Guayaquil, Ecuador (GYE) (Boeing 787-8)
- Lima, Peru (LIM) (Boeing 787-8)
- Medellin, Colombia (MDE) (Boeing 787-8)
- Port au Prince, Haiti (PAP) (Boeing 787-8)
- Quito, Ecuador (UIO) (Boeing 787-8)
- Bogota, Colombia (BOG) (Boeing 777-200)
- San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) (Boeing 777-200)
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- 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.
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| 4X | 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. |
| 4X | 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. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
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Intro Offer
You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 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.