American Airlines scraps its longest Tel Aviv route in surprise move
In a surprising turn of events, American Airlines is making a big adjustment to its long-haul network.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier is pulling out of the Miami-to-Tel Aviv market effective March 24, as confirmed by a carrier spokesperson.
The flights will be pulled from American’s schedule this weekend, and the carrier will reach out to affected customers with rebooking options once the schedule change is posted.
The 6,603-mile flight was the airline’s longest route from its Miami hub, and it launched in June 2021. American originally flew the route on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the eastbound direction using a 273-seat Boeing 777-200.
The service was so successful that the airline upgraded the route to daily service on Oct. 28, 2022, roughly 16 months after it first launched. The route is now flown by a smaller 234-seat Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, but the daily frequency brought a big capacity boost to the market.
"The initial reception was very strong, but it has actually grown that much more. That is the principal driver of us going to daily service," explained Juan Carlos Liscano, American's vice president of the Miami hub, in an interview with ABC10 News about the upgraded service.
Yet now, just three months later, American is doing a 180 and canceling the route entirely. When asked for an explanation, a carrier spokesperson shared the following statement.
As part of the continuous evaluation of our network, American Airlines has made the difficult decision to discontinue its Miami (MIA) – Tel Aviv (TLV) service effective March 24, 2023. We will continue to operate daily service to Tel Aviv from New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK). We’re proactively reaching out to customers affected by these changes to offer alternate travel arrangements.
Unfortunately, American isn't providing much of an explanation for this cut, aside from its usual "continuous evaluation of our network" talking point.
That's likely to irk some travelers who booked this flight with the confidence that it would continue to operate on a daily basis — especially when an executive was so publicly bullish about its prospects.
When American cuts the flight from Miami to Tel Aviv, it'll cede all nonstop traffic to Israeli flag carrier El Al, which operates between three and four weekly frequencies in the market using Boeing 787 Dreamliners, Cirium schedules show.
That said, American isn't exiting the Tel Aviv station entirely. As mentioned above, the carrier will continue to fly there on a daily basis from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York.
Before the JFK flight launched, American hadn't flown to Tel Aviv since January 2016, when it flew there from Philadelphia. In addition to the JFK service, the airline was planning to connect Dallas-Fort Worth and Miami with Israel.
Going from no flights to service from three hubs might seem extreme, but Brian Znotins, American's vice president of network planning, explained the rationale behind each one to TPG back in February 2021.
While there was lots of talk, American never moved forward to launching the Dallas-Fort Worth flight, canceling it in May 2022 before it even launched.
And now, with the elimination of the Miami service, American will be left with just one flight from the U.S. to Israel.
That contrasts pretty starkly against the recent moves from American's big domestic competitors. Delta plans to relaunch flights from Atlanta to Tel Aviv earlier than planned on March 26, and it launched new service from Boston last summer. Delta continues to fly to Tel Aviv from New York, too.
Meanwhile, United continues to boost service to Israel, with expanded connectivity from Chicago (four weekly flights) and San Francisco (upgraded to a Boeing 777-300ER) filed in last weekend's schedule update.
United also flies to Tel Aviv from Newark and Washington, D.C.
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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
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- 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.