American adds new transcontinental route to Orange County
American Airlines is going long in Orange County, California.
The carrier just filed a brand-new transcontinental route to Orange County's John Wayne Airport (SNA) from its hub at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT).
The new daily service begins July 5 and will run through Aug. 14, as first seen in Cirium schedules.
American will deploy a 196-seat Airbus A321neo, which features 20 first-class recliners, 47 Main Cabin Extra seats and 129 economy seats, on the route.
Though the 2,099-mile flight is only loaded for six weeks during the peak summer season, American may decide to extend the schedule if the service performs well.
This is just the latest addition for American in Orange County. During the pandemic, the airline added a new transcontinental route to New York, operated by the 102-seat Airbus A321T (the swankiest jet in the fleet), which features 10 Flagship First pods, 20 Flagship Business lie-flats and 72 economy seats — half of which are in an extra-legroom configuration.
Also, the carrier added service from Austin to Orange County in June 2022, as part of a big expansion in the Texas capital.
All of this growth in Orange County is coming because the airline likely wants to tap into the airport's catchment area, one of the nation's most affluent.
In a statement confirming the move, American shared:
This route addition is yet another example of American's commitment to offer customers the largest network of any U.S. airline through the summer, with on average nearly 600 peak daily departures from our CLT hub. The addition of CLT broadens our network out of SNA to six destinations, including Austin, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, New York, and Phoenix.
Securing takeoff and landing rights in Orange County is notoriously competitive. SNA is popular among locals and visitors who want to avoid the much larger and busier Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
The Orange County authorities use slots to limit the amount of air traffic in the area. Though there's no federally administered slot program at SNA in the traditional sense (to control capacity), local officials cap commercial passenger traffic for noise abatement and other reasons.
Each year, airport authorities release an allocation of daily flights, known as ADDs, that each airline can fly. American won 19 ADDs for 2023.
It wasn't immediately clear whether American was cutting frequencies on another route to make room for the new Charlotte flight, and a carrier spokesperson declined to share further details.
This quirky slot allocation process is why Southwest needed to cut some Orange County routes earlier this year.
Interestingly, as American boosts transcontinental connectivity from Southern California, United Airlines is too. The Chicago-based carrier filed plans late last year to drop its Hawaii service from SNA in favor of an additional flight from SNA to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
American's new flight will operate as Flight No. 2099 — seemingly a reference to the number of miles between Charlotte and Orange County.
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees