American Airlines is making some big changes to its network.
The Fort Worth-based airline submitted plans over the weekend to launch five new routes, three of them from its hub at New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA). The update was first spotted on Cirium’s schedule and later confirmed by a spokesperson for the carrier.
American Airlines is also making several changes, including cutting one LaGuardia route and changing its widebody rollout strategy.
Will the number of upgrades completed be reduced? Airlines claim passengers are only paying for first class seats
Details can be found below.
American Airlines adds three LaGuardia routes
The highlight of the update is the addition of three new routes from LaGuardia.
American Airlines will begin offering once-a-week Saturday flights from LGA to:
- Bozeman, Montana
- Calgary, Alberta
- kalispell, montana
All new routes will launch on June 7th and will run until August 30th.
daily newsletter
Get rewarded in your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers and get breaking news, in-depth guides, and exclusive deals from TPG experts.
American Airlines will deploy the Boeing 737 MAX 8 on all routes with 16 reclining First Class seats, 24 Main Cabin Extra Economy seats and 132 Standard Economy seats.
The distance from LaGuardia Airport to Kalispell Airport is 3,035 miles, making it the longest route from LGA. Currently, Delta’s flight from LGA to Salt Lake City is LGA’s longest route at 1,982 miles, according to Cirium’s schedule.
These routes are somewhat rare in LaGuardia. it is, Airport “boundary rules” This restricts airlines from flying to airports more than 1,500 miles away, with two exceptions: flights to Denver and routes operated on Saturdays.
Check value: Are airline credit cards worth it anymore?
All of American’s new routes are over 1,500 miles long, but the airline is using a Saturday exception to operate the routes.
(LaGuardia is There are also slot restrictionsThat means airlines need special takeoff and landing permits to operate flights there, but no slots are needed for Saturday’s flights. )
Some airlines have long tried to implement Saturday-only service from LaGuardia Airport, but they have not always been successful as airlines typically prefer to operate more flights over more days. Not that I’m doing it. (See how delta and spirit LaGuardia routes were reduced. )
But this time, the Americans are clearly targeting leisure travelers.
“In summer 2025, American Airlines will launch five new routes to help connect customers to their favorite outdoor destinations: breathtaking glaciers, awe-inspiring wildlife and unique natural landscapes. “With convenient access to New Year’s resolutions, travelers planning their New Year’s resolutions will have even more to enjoy in the great outdoors from Nova Scotia to Montana,” a U.S. spokesperson said. said in a statement.
American Airlines adds two more routes
Continuing the leisure theme, American Airlines plans to add two more Saturday-only routes for next summer.
The first flight, from Chicago to Halifax, Nova Scotia, will take off on June 21st and run until October 4th. The second flight, Dallas/Fort Worth to Quebec, will run from August 9th to November 1st.
Both routes will be operated by Embraer E175 regional jets. In fact, the flight from Dallas will be American Airlines’ longest flight operated by an E175. (Distance is 1,655 miles and travel time is approximately 4 hours.)
Added value: You can finally earn miles and loyalty points with paid upgrades on American Airlines
America cuts one LaGuardia route
American Airlines is making exciting leisure additions across its network, but at the expense of one route: a short regional hop from LaGuardia to Philadelphia.
This route will end on June 5th.
American Airlines confirmed the cuts in the following statement:
As part of its ongoing evaluation of its network, American Airlines is discontinuing service between New York (LGA) and Philadelphia (PHL). Customers will continue to have access to more than 85 destinations from New York, including new offerings to outdoor leisure destinations starting in 2025. We are actively providing alternative travel arrangements to affected customers.
This short route connects two U.S. hub airports, but some aviation observers have long considered it a “slot squat.”
LaGuardia is slot management airportwhich means that the number of departures and arrivals per day is limited by the slot. These slots are typically distributed on a use-it-or-lose-it basis, so airlines must use every slot in their portfolio or risk losing them to competitors.
During peak periods, airline schedules are optimized to efficiently use all slots in the portfolio. However, during periods of low demand, airlines may find lower-cost regional flights for “slot squats.” Rather than sell or give up valuable slots, airlines fill their schedules during seasons of weak demand with cheaper regional operations that utilize all their slots.
In this case, American Airlines may have found a better use of LaGuardia slots than flying to Philadelphia.
America’s delayed wide-body jet
american Upcoming Boeing 787 Dreamliner deliveries scheduled has been delayed again, forcing airlines to adjust their upcoming widebody schedules for the spring 2025 season.
As part of this weekend’s schedule load, American Airlines will postpone its restart between Chicago and Paris from April to May. The airline will also reduce its flights between Miami and Buenos Aires from three to two daily in April, and temporarily suspend flights between Miami and Paris in May.
American Airlines will not reduce service to any destinations as part of this adjustment.
“Due to continued delays in Boeing 787 deliveries, American Airlines is adjusting service on some routes in spring 2025 to re-accommodate customers on affected flights. “American Airlines remains committed to mitigating the impact of these Boeing delays while continuing to provide a comprehensive global network.” “I will go,” he said in a statement.
If it’s any consolation, American Airlines will extend its season between Chicago and Barcelona. The route was originally scheduled to end around Labor Day weekend, but will now run until October.
American Airlines said it was able to accommodate the additional flights “as part of optimizing our network and fleet.”
Related books: