American Airlines shifts focus from Canada to the Caribbean through 2021
Airlines have been busy adjusting schedules to fly places where people are actually going.
The latest move comes from American Airlines, which is pulling out of three Canadian cities while boosting flights to the Caribbean.
With Canada largely closed for the foreseeable future, American is suspending service to Halifax (YHZ), Ottawa (YOW) and Quebec (YQB) for the entirety of 2021, per Cirium schedules and later confirmed by the carrier.
Ottawa is typically a year-round market for American, with multiple daily services from its Philadelphia (PHL) hub. AA hasn't flown to Canada's capital since June 2020, and the previous plans were to resume flights one year later, in June 2021. Now, the carrier is throwing in the towel on the route through 2021, at the earliest.
As for Halifax and Quebec, both are seasonal summer markets for American, with a mix of flights from Chicago (ORD), Philadelphia (PHL) and New York/LaGuardia (LGA). AA was scheduled to resume those flights come June, but that's been scrapped for 2021.
All the idled planes mean that American (and its competitors) can quickly boost service to destinations where pandemic-weary flyers are actually traveling, like the Caribbean, Florida and national parks.
To that end, AA will double down on the Caribbean by adding a daily flight to three island destinations from its Miami (MIA) hub, with details as follows:
- Miami (MIA) to Port-au-Prince, Haiti (PAP) going from 3x/day to 4/x day from Aug. 17 to Nov. 6
- Miami (MIA) to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (STT) going from 3x/day to 4x/day from May 6 – June 2
American's Airbus A319 service from New York-JFK to St. Thomas will also get a big boost. Instead of seasonal service ending on Aug. 17, AA will continue flying the route through Nov. 6, at the earliest, indicating strong demand to the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Related: Details of American's major Miami expansion
This push to outdoor, warm-weather destinations comes as travelers are looking for safer alternatives to indoor-focused trips. American has been quick to beef up service to such places, as well as those with strong VFR (visiting friends and relatives) traffic.
In early February, the airline unveiled a major Miami-focused expansion, adding two new pins to its route map — Paramaribo, Suriname (PBM) and Samana, Dominican Republic (AZS) — in a move described as "opportunistic" by American's vice president of network planning, Brian Znotins.
In addition to a new long-haul flight to Tel Aviv, AA will significantly grow its short-haul international flying from Miami. To capitalize on the strong VFR traffic to Latin America and the Caribbean, American is adding frequency and upgauging aircraft to many existing destinations, with a plan to offer 16% more capacity to the region from Miami compared to 2019.
Related: 8 things to know about the new American Airlines-JetBlue partnership
As part of American's new Northeast alliance with JetBlue, the carrier is also adding once-weekly Saturday flights to St. Lucia (UVF) and Turks and Caicos (PLS), both from New York-JFK, designed to capture "sun-seeking customers."
All in, Cirium schedules show that American plans roughly 15% fewer flights to Canada and 10% more flights to the Caribbean from May through July compared to the pre-pandemic highs of 2019.
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