American drops 4 international cities, adds domestic flights in major route shakeup
Despite the upcoming winter holidays, American Airlines' route planning department isn't taking any time off.
Over the weekend, the Fort Worth-based airline loaded a major schedule update for 2021 flying, a move designed to "match anticipated demand" for next year, according to a carrier spokesperson.
The route-map shakeup will see American drop four international cities, three of which are permanent. American also will add a host of domestic and short-haul international flights, many of which we'll discuss below.
Sign up for TPG's free new biweekly Aviation newsletter for more airline-specific news!
Goodbye to secondary long-haul flights from Philadelphia
American is closing three European outstations: Manchester (MAN), Prague (PRG) and Reykjavik (KEF). It's also dropping service to Venice (VCE) until 2022 at the earliest, a carrier spokesperson confirmed to TPG.
Instead of offering service from Philadelphia to the aforementioned airports, the carrier plans to redeploy the unused aircraft to Latin America and the Caribbean, according to an internal memo posted by xJonNYC and later confirmed by a spokesperson in a statement.
The move leaves Philadelphia, once AA's main East Coast transatlantic gateway with just 12 long-haul European destinations slated for 2021, including Amsterdam (AMS), Paris (CDG) and London Heathrow (LHR), among others.
In American's latest update that hit this week, the carrier added nearly 2,300 new flights to the Caribbean and Latin American for 2021, boosting the number of available seats by over 8% systemwide, according to Cirium schedules. Meanwhile, European flights were slashed by almost 10%.
Over the past few years, American has see-sawed on its approach to its two main Northeast hubs, New York-JFK and Philadelphia. Leading up to the pandemic, AA was busy winding down much of its long-haul flying from JFK, leaving just the bread-and-butter business routes to places like London and Sao Paulo and shifting the remainder to Philly.
But the pandemic has, in part, upended that strategy. With the retirement of the Boeing 757, AA doesn't have a narrow-body capable of flying some of the "thinner" European routes from Philly. (The Airbus A321XLR, slated to replace the 757, won't arrive until 2023 at the earliest.)
Coupled with the upcoming Northeast-focused alliance with JetBlue, American plans to once again boost international flying from JFK, while somewhat scaling back in Philly with the aforementioned route suspensions.
The carrier has already announced plans to launch nonstops from JFK to both Athens and Tel Aviv in 2021, replacing the carrier's legacy Philadelphia to Tel Aviv service.
Going up against JetBlue in South Florida
While soon-to-be partners American and JetBlue are set to cozy up in the Northeast, things are cooling off down south.
Last week, JetBlue announced a bevy of new routes, including, perhaps most interestingly, three destinations from Miami (MIA) — a new city for JetBlue.
American has long operated a fortress hub in Miami, so this move by JetBlue seems aimed at capturing market share from its soon-to-be partner.
Now, AA appears to have retaliated over the weekend.
Starting roughly two months after JetBlue's Miami inaugural, American plans to add three of its own routes from JetBlue's South Florida hub in Fort Lauderdale (FLL).
American will add service to Boston (BOS), Los Angeles (LAX) and New York-JFK beginning on April 2, 2021, on a mix of Airbus A321neos and Boeing 737-800s. Perhaps not coincidentally, those new destinations from Fort Lauderdale represent JetBlue's two biggest hubs (JFK and Boston) and its newest base in Southern California (LAX).
All three routes technically represent service resumptions for the carrier, though the timing points to a jab at JetBlue. Cirium schedules show that AA last operated flights from FLL to Boston in 2005 and service to JFK and LAX in 2013.
While it remains to be seen how closely the two airlines coordinate in the Northeast, the latest tit-for-tat route announcements have the relationship starting on rocky ground.
More: JetBlue adds Miami in 4-city, 24-route expansion
From Charlotte to paradise
With most of the carrier's long-haul flying temporarily suspended due to the coronavirus-related drop in demand, American has been deploying its wide-body jets on domestic routes.
Come May 6, 2021, American will launch non-stop Charlotte (CLT) to Honolulu (HNL) service on the Boeing 777-200, representing the first time the carrier has flown the route since 2010 when it last flew with the US Airways livery.
This 4,679-mile, ten-hour flight will be the carrier's longest to Hawaii and comes just weeks after Hawaiian Airlines announced new service to Austin (AUS) and Orlando (MCO).
Unfortunately, award availability in business class remains sparse on Charlotte flight, with one-way fares starting at 64,000 AAdvantage miles.
With spare planes and international destinations closed to tourists, American may be betting that it can (at least) break even on the new route. Only time will tell if the Charlotte to Hawaii flights will perform better than they did during the nine months it flew between 2009 and 2010. (US Airways announced the route would end just three months after it launched.)
Entrenching Dallas/Fort Worth
Throughout the pandemic, the Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) airport briefly became the country's busiest, thanks in part to American doubling down at its fortress mega-hub.
Dallas flights have recovered faster than much of the carrier's network, and American isn't letting its competitors steal market share within the metro area.
In addition to adding new flights from Dallas to Eugene (EUG), Fairbanks (FAI), Fayetteville (FAY), and St. George (SGU), American is also gearing up to go head-to-head with Southwest in Long Beach (LGB).
Starting April 2, AA will launch once-daily nonstop service between DFW and LGB, in a move aimed to compete with Southwest's new Dallas/Love Field (DAL) to LGB route, which is slated to begin on March 11.
More: Southwest Airlines adds 16 new routes, including from Houston and Long Beach
Bottom line
The pandemic has caused airlines worldwide to rethink their route maps, and the latest round of major changes comes from American.
The carrier is adding new flights aimed at competing with the recent expansion from both JetBlue and Southwest. Additionally, the carrier is winding down some of its European flying, while boosting its presence in the Caribbean and Latin American. Finally, the carrier is launching its longest nonstop to Hawaii.
Now we wait for a possible response from American's competitors.
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