American Airlines has announced five new routes to Europe in 2025, the return of all 2024 routes, and a wider season for travel. The conservative growth marks the practical reality of an airline that is still struggling over both direction and aircraft deliveries.
Facing Ongoing Aircraft Delivery Delays And Questions Over Long-Term Growth Strategy, American Airlines Adds Five New European Routes In 2025
American Airlines will add five new routes next summer to Europe, including a return to Edinburgh, Scotland, a destination that has been on hiatus since 2019.
| Departure Airport | Arrival Airport | Service Notes | Aircraft Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte (CLT) | Athens (ATH) | Daily service will begin June 5 | Boeing 777-200 |
| Chicago (ORD) | Madrid (MAD) | Daily service will begin March 30 | Boeing 787-8 |
| Miami (MIA) | Rome (FCO) | Daily service will begin July 5 | Boeing 777-200 |
| Philadelphia (PHL) | Edinburgh (EDI) | Daily service will begin May 23 | Boeing 787-8 |
| Philadelphia (PHL) | Milan (MXP) | Daily service will begin May 23 | Boeing 787-8 |
The routes appear safe and likely to succeed: popular and always busy during the summer months.
With the addition of MIA-FCO, AA will serve FCO from six US airports — more than any other US carrier. That includes service from:
- Charlotte (CLT)
- Chicago (ORD)
- Dallas – Fort Worth (DFW)
- Miami (MIA)
- New York (JFK)
- Philadelphia (PHL)
In addition to the new routes, AA will start service earlier on a trio of other routes and in the case of MIA-CDG, extend daily service into the summer:
| Departure Airport | Arrival Airport | Service Notes | Aircraft Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) | Barcelona (BCN) | Daily service will begin March 30 | Boeing 777-200 |
| Miami (MIA) | Paris (CDG) | Daily service will extend into summer | Boeing 787-8 |
| Philadelphia (PHL) | Athens (ATH) | Daily service will begin March 30 | Boeing 787-8 |
| Philadelphia (PHL) | Naples (NAP) | Daily service will begin May 5 | Boeing 787-8 |
This is all good news: the new and resumed routes should be successful and will be popular with customers.
That said, the aircraft delivery delays of both Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Airbus A321XLR planes continue to limit growth. In May, American Airlines cut its 2024 delivery forecast by 24%. AA had planned to debut its new flagship 787-9 this October on Dallas – Brisbane, but the delivery of that plane has been delayed..with no updated date set. A321XLR and 737 MAX 10 delays are expected as well.
In the meantime, the lack of premium seats on its current 787-8s (20) and 787-9s (30) will also make it harder to capture premium cabin demand.
In addition to the delivery delays, American Airlines still has not been clear about its long-term growth plans… the lack of a perceived clear vision and direction for growth (made much more difficult, of course, by the aircraft delivery delays) leaves many of us wondering how AA can turn the corner and return to profitability absent the implosion of its competition.
CONCLUSION
American Airlines will add five new routes to Europe in 2025, including its first return to Edinburgh since 2019. Each new route is sensible, but the conservative growth is an indicator of AA’s continued aircraft delivery delays and its continued struggle to find a business plan that can approach the profitability of United Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
image: American Airlines
For AA, this is hardly conservative and all mostly safe plays. Good to see the PHL-NAP/NCE/CPH routes performed in 2024 inaugurals, and will return. MIA-FCO is overdue, and likely would take over as AA’s near year round FCO route if it performs, which frankly, it should, given the O&D on both ends.
CLT-ATH is likely in lieu of DFW-ATH, which would require more frames but with what AA has a CLT, not hard to pump traffic (seasonal) on this route.
All of this of course depends on how the US economy, and the USD hold up.
You’re just not going to see AA launch tertiary markets like OPO, AGP, TFS, and the like for a while. They don’t have the planes to do it and the XLR’s coming in, which will first get deployed on LAX/SFO transcons from JFK, are too premium for heavy leisure routes like this.
I agree with @shoeguy, this doesn’t seem all that conservative for AA. I’m glad nothing is getting cut!
To me, these routes are all pretty boring, but isn’t everyone basically going to Italy, Greece, and Spain? Most of my friends are late 30s/early 40s without kids, and at any given time, I feel like they’re flying to one of those three places. I also think seniors are, I think honeymooners are, and I think families are.
I’d love to see a nonstop to WAW, PRG, IST, or AGP, but since I can route through LHR on AA and use a systemwide on the BA and AA segment, I don’t really care.
I don’t get how something can be “safe” but not “conservative” … I think the “boring” and indeed “safe” nature of these routes demonstrates how conservative AA is acting.
AA does not have the planes to fly tertiary TATL routes, as stated before. 777s and 787s are too big for routes like AGP, OPO, TFS, and the like. The MAX8s aren’t ETOPS certified. It’s not so much boring as it is typical AA playbook. Largely safe choices where they have the ability to fill planes in peak demand season. Would CLT-CMN be sexy and fun? Sure, but on a 787 or a 777? Not on American.
A few of these are actually holes in the network. MIA-FCO is long overdue, as is a return to EDI.
It would be nice to see more routes to central Europe on AA so you don’t have to keep transiting through LHR.
I guess AA has given up on Asia?
Pre-pandemic, East Europe was the plan with Chicago-Poland flights planned for 2020 and resumptions of PHL to Budapest and Prague, but we know what happened. Again, AA doesn’t have the planes for this type of service, which is cost effective on a fully paid down, depreciated 767-300ER or similar, which AA doesn’t have. The 77Es are too big and heavy and the 787s too new to put on tertiary routes like this.
AA has a shortage of wide bodies, and many TPAC require 2 frames. Plus, AA has always been weak to Asia/Pacific and there are very few markets it can profitably fly to outside of HND + SYD.
At most, in the future we’ll likely see AA add SIN, but the question is from where, with the lower density 789. That’s about it. HKG is not coming back, most likely.
Shame the ORD – KRK service which was supposed to start and ultimately derailed by the pandemic hasn’t been reinstated.