American cuts 3 routes, adds key transborder flight
The world's largest airline is getting a bit smaller with three notable route cuts.
American Airlines filed plans earlier this week to drop service between Boston and Toronto, Chicago and San Jose, Costa Rica, and Philadelphia and Akron, Ohio, as first seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by a carrier spokesperson.
While American will continue serving all three destinations from other hub airports, the removal of these routes is interesting for a few reasons.
First, the Boston-to-Toronto flight was added back in April 2021, a key market launched as part of the Northeast Alliance with JetBlue. At the time, the airline hoped to use the transborder service to connect flyers to JetBlue's extensive network from Boston. It would allow American to expand internationally from Boston and give JetBlue additional feed in this key focus city.
While it seemed like a win-win on paper, the route's performance seemingly fell short of American's projections, and it'll be cut as of Jan. 9, 2023.
But, American isn't entirely giving up on this strategy of using a short transborder route in the Northeast to connect to a broader network. On Jan. 10, 2023 — just one day after the Boston flight ends — American will launch service between New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Toronto's Pearson Airport (YYZ) with twice-daily flights.
The service will be operated by American Eagle affiliate Republic Airways onboard a 76-seat Embraer E175 regional aircraft.
American previously served this route back in December 2019, and now it's coming back just a few hours after the Boston flight ends. The carrier seems to think it'll have better luck connecting New York with Toronto. After all, American offers a more robust network from JFK, and it can also tap into JetBlue's big operation there, too.
In terms of competition, American will go up against both Delta and newcomer Flair Airlines for the JFK to Toronto flights.
Elsewhere, American is cutting another new route that it started during the pandemic. In August 2021, the carrier filed plans to add new flights to the two largest airports in Costa Rica: San Jose (SJO) and Liberia (LIR). By flying both to the capital and to Liberia on the west coast, American could offer travelers a comprehensive schedule for exploring this popular Central American country.
While the airline moved forward with launching both routes, only one is coming back for another season. The Liberia route will resume in January with once-weekly service, and American will no longer fly between Chicago and San Jose. The airline had originally planned to restart seasonal flights on this route in March 2023.
"We will continue to offer service to San Jose, Costa Rica from our hubs in Charlotte, Dallas-Fort Worth and Miami," a carrier spokesperson shared in a statement. United Airlines, which also operates a hub in Chicago, will continue serving the San Jose route with once-weekly service.
Finally, American had planned to restart flying between Philadelphia and Akron next April with twice-daily seasonal service. That'll no longer happen, and the route will instead be cut from the airline's network. Historically, American has flown year-round between these two cities, so the airline seemingly doesn't anticipate enough demand to warrant flying the route any longer.
When American pulls out of the market, no other airline will offer nonstop service between Philadelphia and Akron, though the carrier will still fly to Charlotte and Washington Regan National from the Ohio airport.
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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. |
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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.