American Airlines' summer schedule rebounds in some hubs, but not all
American Airlines sees a glimmer of light even as the novel coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, unveiling plans to resume some suspended flights and put grounded planes back in the air this summer.
The schedule improvements begin in May with some connectivity restored at the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier's main hubs despite capacity being down as much as 90%, American said in a schedule update Thursday. More flights are restored in June, including additional domestic options and a number of suspended international routes.
“We went at it with a chainsaw when we cut down April. May is a lot more logical, consistent and connective schedule," American vice president of network planning Brian Znotins told TPG.
Travelers can see and book the new schedules beginning Sunday, April 5.
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What's back
American is restoring connectivity at six of its hubs in May: Charlotte (CLT), Chicago O'Hare (ORD), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), Miami (MIA), Philadelphia (PHL) and Phoenix (PHX). Dallas/Fort Worth will be the largest of the six, as it was before. But all of the hubs will see far fewer flights than they did last year.
The Oneworld carrier will also resume three routes to South America from Miami in May. Once-daily flights will be offered to Buenos Aires (EZE), Santiago, Chile (SCL), and São Paulo (GRU) starting May 7.
“We’re building a schedule that presumes some recovery in demand," Znotins said when asked whether the new schedule cut enough for American to begin filling planes again.
Load factors, or the percent of seats filled, on flights operated by U.S. carriers were just 13% on March 29, according to the latest data from industry organization Airlines for America (A4A) data.
With the view that passenger demand will begin recovering sometime in May or June, American plans to slowly rebuild its main hubs through the summer. In addition, it will resume some of its suspended international routes. At the top of the list will be those to partner hubs abroad, with an goal to fly about 60% of what it flew in 2019.
Related: American Airlines to seek share of government aid package
What's gone
The biggest holes in American's updated domestic schedule are its hubs in Los Angeles (LAX), New York John F. Kennedy (JFK) and LaGuardia (LGA), and Washington Reagan National (DCA). These airports will be reduced to essentially spokes, or a destination that only has flights to an airline's hubs, at least for May.
The biggest surprise is Washington. American has touted the airport, which is located just across the Potomac River from the city center, as one of its three most profitable hubs in recent years. It planned to grow the hub with larger jets once the airport completed work on a new concourse due to open in 2021.
“One thing I’ve learned through this crisis is that trying to forecast the pace and severity of the way things will be, no one can do that," said Znotins when asked if the growth at Washington National would resume. "We’re just going to try to remain as flexible as possible so we can drive capacity where it’s needed the most.”
On the international front, American will postpone several new routes and many of its seasonal routes this summer and fall. For example, the airline has pushed its first foray into Africa —seasonal service to Casablanca (CMN) — to next year. It has similarly delayed its plans to return to India; the carrier's Seattle-Bangalore (BLR) route is now slated to begin in 2021.
Related: American Airlines in ‘fight of our lives’ as it plans more coronavirus cuts
The unknown
When will border restrictions be relaxed? When will the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) remove its domestic travel warning? These are just some of the assumptions made in American's new schedule.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) warns against the possibility of a "V-shape" recovery, or where travelers return to the skies in the nearly the same numbers within just a few months. Instead, the organization expects a "significant recovery" to begin in 2021 at the earliest.
American has baked some flexibility into its return plans. The airline is retiring its Boeing 757s and 767s, as well as its Embraer E190s, earlier than first planned before of the crisis. However, no decision has been made on whether to retire the Airbus A330s and older Boeing 737s, said Znotins.
In addition, the airline's winter 2020 schedule that begins in late October is not set. American will continue to watch demand and make adjustments as needed. One example: Flights to China are due to resume in October — for now.
Related: It may be years until passenger demand returns to 2019 levels for US airlines
A full list of American's international route resumptions is below.
Resuming on May 7
- Miami - Buenos Aires, Santiago and São Paulo
Resuming on June 4
- Chicago O'Hare - Athens (ATH), Dublin (DUB) and London Heathrow (LHR)
- Dallas/Fort Worth - Amsterdam (AMS) and Frankfurt (FRA)
- Los Angeles - London Heathrow
- Miami - Rio de Janeiro (GIG)
- New York JFK - Buenos Aires and São Paulo
- Philadelphia - London Heathrow
- Raleigh/Durham - London Heathrow
Resuming on July 7
- Charlotte - London Heathrow and Munich (MUC)
- Chicago O'Hare - Barcelona (BCN)
- Dallas/Fort Worth - Dublin, Hong Kong (HKG), Lima (LIM), São Paulo, Seoul Incheon (ICN) and Tokyo Haneda (HND)
- Los Angeles - Tokyo Haneda
- Miami - Madrid (MAD)
- New York JFK - Madrid and Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG)
- Philadelphia - Madrid and Zurich (ZRH)
Resuming or starting this fall
- Boston (BOS) - London Heathrow
- Charlotte - Frankfurt (FRA)
- Dallas/Fort Worth - Buenos Aires, Beijing (PEK), Santiago and Shanghai Pudong (PVG)
- Los Angeles - Auckland (AKL), Beijing (PEK), Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Shanghai Pudong and Sydney (SYD)
- Miami - Barcelona, Brasilia (BSB), Milan (MXP) and Paris Charles de Gaulle
- New York JFK - Barcelona and Milan
- Philadelphia - Barcelona, Dublin, Manchester (MAN), Paris Charles de Gaulle and Rome
- Phoenix - London Heathrow
Resuming or starting in 2021
- Charlotte - Barcelona, Dublin, Madrid, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Rome (FCO)
- Chicago O'Hare - Budapest (BUD), Krakow, Poland (KRK), Paris Charles de Gaulle, Prague (PRG), Rome and Venice (VCE)
- Dallas/Fort Worth - Auckland, Munich, Rome, and Tel Aviv (TLV)
- Los Angeles - Christchurch (CHC)
- New York JFK - Rome
- Philadelphia - Berlin (TXL), Casablanca, Dubrovnik, Croatia (DBV), Edinburgh (EDI), Lisbon (LIS), Prague, Reykjavik (KEF), Shannon (SNN) and Venice
- Seattle - Bangalore and London Heathrow
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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. |
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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
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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.