Addressing reduced international travel demand, American Airlines has adjusted its long-haul international schedule for winter 2020 through summer 2021. The carrier has revised its schedules to better align with demand while at the same time working to improve long-term profitability. American expects:
- Summer 2021 long-haul international capacity to be down 25% compared to 2019.
- To focus on markets that create unique connectivity for customers.
- To leverage partnerships as the foundation of future international growth.
“COVID-19 has forced us to reevaluate our network,” said American’s Chief Revenue Officer Vasu Raja. “American will have a significantly smaller international network in the year ahead, but we are using this opportunity to hit reset and create a network using the strength of our strategic hubs that we can build and grow upon and be profitable on in this new environment.”
International demand remains low
In response to the prolonged downturn in international travel, American expects summer 2021 long-haul international capacity to be down 25% versus 2019. As the airline begins planning for next summer, American will also discontinue several routes that were once popular leisure destinations but are expected to exhibit decreased demand.
“American has spent the past few years right-sizing its international network, discontinuing underperforming routes while adding leisure destinations like Dubrovnik and Prague,” said Brian Znotins, American’s Vice President of Network Planning. “Now, as demand has significantly diminished due to COVID-19, we have to be nimble, creating the network that our customers desire.”
American will exit several routes, including three trans-Atlantic routes from both Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). The company will also exit five underperforming routes from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to destinations in Asia and South America, concentrating on the hub’s domestic strength.
As American resets its international network for future growth, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) will be the airline’s major trans-Pacific hub while Miami International Airport (MIA) will continue to be the preeminent hub for flights to the Caribbean and Latin America. Once government restrictions on trans-Atlantic flying subside, PHL will continue to be American’s primary hub for service to Europe.
Growing in Seattle with partner Alaska Airlines
This year, American launched its West Coast International Alliance with Alaska Airlines, a partnership to expand its international reach and connectivity for customers. Under this partnership, American will grow its presence in Seattle along with adding international routes to Bangalore and London and seeking government approval to move its LAX service to Shanghai to operate out of SEA. Also, later this year, Alaska intends to join the oneworld® alliance.
American will also continue to fly to joint business partners’ hubs. And while some international markets will not return, American anticipates a full schedule to LHR by 2021. The airline will continue to work closely with British Airways to provide an extensive network that allows customers to reach key destinations when they are ready.
“For American, every new partnership means future growth opportunities for our airline. We’re going to rely on our hubs’ greatest strengths with our existing international network, and further integrate into our partners’ hubs to provide connectivity that’s been untapped in the past,” Raja said. “American will be well poised to emerge from this crisis with a stronger network that provides improved connectivity for our customers.”
Updated international schedule (not previously announced):
| Origin | Destination | Schedule change |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte (CLT) | London (LHR) Munich (MUC) Frankfurt (FRA) | Resumes winter 2020 Resumes winter 2020 Resumes summer 2021 |
| Chicago (ORD) | Barcelona (BCN) Dublin (DUB) Paris (CDG) | Resumes summer 2021 Resumes summer 2021 Resumes summer 2021 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) | Buenos Aires (EZE) Lima (LIM) Sao Paulo (GRU) Beijing (PEK) Rome (FCO) Santiago (SCL) Tel Aviv (TLV) | Resumes winter 2020 Resumes winter 2020 Resumes winter 2020 Resumes summer 2021 Resumes summer 2021 Resumes summer 2021 Launches winter 2021 |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | Auckland (AKL) London (LHR) Sydney (SYD) | Launches winter 2021 Resumes winter 2020 Resumes summer 2021 |
| New York (JFK) | Paris (CDG) Barcelona (BCN) Buenos Aires (EZE) Rio de Janeiro (GIG) Sao Paulo (GRU) Madrid (MAD) Milan (MXP) | Resumes winter 2020 Resumes summer 2021 Resumes winter 2020 Resumes winter 2020 Resumes winter 2020 Resumes summer 2021 Resumes summer 2021 |
| Miami (MIA) | Paris (CDG) Rio de Janeiro (GIG) Sao Paulo (GRU) Madrid (MAD) Santiago (SCL) | Resumes summer 2021 Resumes winter 2020 Resumes 8/6/2020 Resumes summer 2021 Resumes 8/5/2020 |
| Philadelphia (PHL) | Amsterdam (AMS) Dublin (DUB) London (LHR) Manchester (MAN) Madrid (MAD) Paris (CDG) Rome (FCO) Zurich (ZRH) | Resumes winter 2020 Resumes winter 2020 Resumes winter 2020 Resumes summer 2021 Resumes winter 2020 Resumes summer 2021 Resumes summer 2021 Resumes summer 2021 |
| Phoenix (PHX) | London (LHR) | Resumes winter 2020 |
| Raleigh (RDU) | London (LHR) | Resumes winter 2020 |
| Seattle (SEA) | Bangalore (BLR) London (LHR) Shanghai (PVG) | Launches winter 2021 Launches summer 2021 Expected New Service |
The route between Seattle and Shanghai is subject to government approval. When approved, the route will shift from Los Angeles to Seattle.
With this route announcement, American will also eliminate multiple routes from its hubs throughout the country. These routes are listed below:
- Charlotte – Barcelona, Rome, and Paris
- Dallas/Ft. Worth – Munich
- Los Angeles – Hong Kong (HKG), Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Beijing, Shanghai (this route is expected to be shifted to Seattle)
- Miami – Brasilia (BSB), Milan
- Chicago O’Hare – Budapest, Krakow, Prague, Venice (American will not launch ORD-BUD, ORD-PRG, and ORD-KRK as previously announced)
- Philadelphia – Budapest, Casablanca, Dubrovnik (American will not launch PHL-CMN as previously announced)
As with any major schedule change, especially during these times, all information herein is subject to change and is based on anticipated passenger demand in the coming year. Visit American Airlines for complete details.
