American Airlines Expands European Footprint and Modifies Asia Service
American Airlines is expanding its European network next summer with nine new routes designed to meet customer demand:
- CLT: Daily year-round service to Munich Airport (MUC)
- DFW: Daily summer seasonal service to Dublin Airport (DUB) and to MUC
- ORD: Daily summer seasonal service to Athens International Airport (ATH) in Greece
- PHL: Daily summer seasonal service to Edinburgh Airport (EDI) in Scotland; new summer seasonal service to Berlin-Tegel Airport (TXL), Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport (BLQ) in Italy and Dubrovnik Airport (DBV) in Croatia
- PHX: Daily seasonal service to London Heathrow Airport (LHR)
Additionally, given the current fuel and competitive environment, American will suspend service between O’Hare International Airport (ORD) in Chicago and Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) in October and seek a dormancy waiver from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) for the route authority. American will also reduce service between ORD and Narita International Airport (NRT) in Japan from daily to three days per week, effective in December.
Europe
American will add three new destinations to its network with the introduction of service between Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) and TXL, BLQ and DBV next summer. These seasonal flights will be operated June through September on Boeing 767 aircraft, featuring lie-flat business class seats, Cole Haan amenity kits and chef-designed meals with award-winning wines.
“By providing the only nonstop service from North America to Bologna and Dubrovnik and adding Berlin to our international footprint, American is making it easier to see the world,” said Vasu Raja, Vice President of Network and Schedule Planning. “Through our Atlantic Joint Business, we have seen increased interest to these markets from the U.S., and adjusting our network to introduce these destinations will provide more choices for customers on both sides of the Atlantic.”
This summer, American launched seasonal service from PHL to Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD) in Hungary and Vaclav Havel Airport Prague (PRG) in the Czech Republic, as well as from ORD to Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) in Italy and from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to Keflavik International Airport (KEF) in Iceland, all of which will operate through the end of October and return in 2019.
American will also add a new nonstop flight from Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) in Phoenix to LHR, complementing existing service from PHX provided by Atlantic Joint Business partner British Airways. With the addition of American’s PHX–LHR service, American and British Airways together will operate more than 70 flights per day to London from North America.
“We are in the business of making the world more accessible, and with the success of Budapest and Prague, as well as the new flights we’re announcing today, we continue to make the world a little bit smaller for our customers,” said Raja. “We are pleased to work with our partners at British Airways to design a schedule that complements the full joint business.”
Atlantic Joint Business partner Finnair has also announced new service between Helsinki Airport (HEL) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), which will begin March 31.
American’s new flights will be available for sale Aug. 27.
2019 additions:
| Route | Aircraft | Season | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLT–MUC* | A330-200 | Begins March 31 | Daily |
| DFW–DUB* | 787-9 | June 6–Sept. 28 | Daily |
| DFW–MUC* | 787-8 | June 6–Oct. 26 | Daily |
| ORD–ATH* | 787-8 | May 3–Sept. 28 | Daily |
| PHL–EDI* | 757 | April 2–Oct. 26 | Daily |
| PHL–TXL* | 767 | June 7–Sept. 28 | Four times weekly |
| PHL–BLQ* | 767 | June 6–Sept. 28 | Four times weekly |
| PHL–DBV* | 767 | June 7–Sept. 27 | Three times weekly |
| PHX–LHR | 777-200 | March 31–Oct. 26 | Daily |
*Subject to government approval
Asia
American will remove nonstop ORD–PVG service from its schedule in October and seek a dormancy waiver from the DOT to permit a return to the market once conditions improve. The last westbound flight will be Oct. 26 and the last eastbound flight will be Oct. 27. Customers holding reservations after these dates will be reaccommodated on other flights and can continue to reach PVG directly through American’s hubs at DFW and LAX and from ORD via NRT in conjunction with Pacific Joint Business partner Japan Airlines (JAL).
“We remain strongly committed to Asia and will continue to serve the region through our hubs in Dallas/Fort Worth and Los Angeles,” added Raja. “Our Chicago–Shanghai service is unprofitable and simply not sustainable in this high fuel cost environment and when we have opportunities to be successful in other markets.”
American will also reduce its ORD–NRT service from daily to three days per week starting Dec. 18. Together, American and JAL will continue to provide nonstop service from ORD to NRT 10 times per week. During the peak summer season between June and August, JAL will increase its service on the route so that combined, the carriers offer twice-daily service that captures peak demand out of Tokyo.
“These adjustments to our Asia service are necessary in this high fuel cost environment, but we remain committed to the network we’ve worked hard to build,” added Raja. “As with Shanghai, American will continue to serve Tokyo through our hubs in Dallas/Fort Worth and Los Angeles.”
