American Airlines hit the pause button on the launch of new international long-haul routes in 2020, but the airline is planning a better 2021 with new routes connecting new destinations. Here are the top five new routes the airline plans to launch this year.
6. Seattle to London-Heathrow
American Airlines will fly a Boeing 777-200ER from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to London-Heathrow (LHR). Currently scheduled to start at the end of March, the airline will increase its 1world time between the two cities, as British Airways operates up to two daily flights between Seattle and London.
The route is expected to perform well, as American’s partner Alaska Airlines has a large hub outside Seattle for connections. And British Airways has another major hub at Heathrow. This will give the airline a decent chance of filling its plane.
What makes this route more interesting is that it will be very competitive. With American and British Airways marking one end, partners Delta and Virgin Atlantic compete on the other end. Delta and Virgin will make up to two daily flights nonstop on the route. Delta has a hub in Seattle and Virgin Atlantic at Heathrow.
Both partnerships can be successful on this route. However, this does not necessarily mean that both airlines “win”. If, because of competition, both partnerships are selling seats below cost and accumulating losses or making a marginal profit, then it is a lose-lose situation – even if the planes are leaving full.
5. Dallas to Tel Aviv
American Airlines is coming to Israel. As the only one of the three major U.S. airlines that does not fly to Israel, the company is banking on the strength of its Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) hub to launch flights to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport (TLV).
From late October, the airline will use a Boeing 787-9 to operate long-haul flights. This route will explore whether there is enough space for the three U.S. airlines to fly to Israel, especially considering how El Al appears to be returning. United Airlines recently expanded to Israel.
4. Dallas to Auckland
If there is anything to know about American Airlines, it is important to know that the airline’s largest and most successful hub is Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). With a huge connection hub, almost all American routes leaving the airport are expected to perform relatively well.
To test this theory, American is adding flights from the Boeing 787-9 to Auckland Airport (AKL) starting in November. This daily seasonal service will test a few different things. First, it will show how successful the hub of the center of the American continent can be. The airline has already used Los Angeles as a starting point for its flights to Australia and New Zealand. Second, it would also show how far American’s partnership with Qantas can go.
If American can support more of its own flights between the US and Australia or New Zealand, along with Australia’s Qantas long-haul operations to points in the United States, then the two airlines are really in good shape moving forward, as it would show strength for nonstop travel to New Zealand and further transform Qantas and American flights to and from Australia to be more about connections and take more people to secondary destinations in Australia.
3. Seattle to Shanghai
This SEA route to Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) will be one to watch. American plans to launch this flight starting March 27 using a Boeing 777-200ER, the same type of plane that flies to London.
China has always been a difficult market for American Airlines. Before, it did not have a partner from mainland China, so connections were not possible for the airline. Now, although China Southern has this partnership, it is not perfect. China Southern’s strength is in Guangzhou, where American does not fly. It has a considerable but limited presence outside Shanghai, compared to much larger China Eastern.
American is moving its West Coast service from Shanghai to Los Angeles to Seattle. The airline cannot operate both services, as there are restrictions on the number of air services between the two countries.
The strength of this new service will be a true testament to the strength of the partnership between American Airlines and Alaska Airlines. If the flight from Seattle to Shanghai works, it shows that American Airlines can really call Seattle a “hub”. If it doesn’t work, it represents the continuing struggle of US airlines to fly to China without a strong partnership.
2. Los Angeles to Christchurch
Starting in November of this year, American Airlines will fly a Boeing 787-8 three times a week between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Christchurch Airport (CHC). This route will be unique to observe.
American Airlines never really knew what to do with Los Angeles. A short hop is its hub at Phoenix-Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), where the carrier has a considerable presence of operations. LAX is full of competition and, although it has a reasonable number of connections, the airport is far from the size of operations centers in Charlotte, Chicago or Miami.
LAX has always been a major trans-Pacific hub for American Airlines. But, AA also tried many other routes out of the airport. American ended its LAX service to Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, São Paulo and Beijing.
This essentially leaves American Los Angeles’ long-distance operations, focused on operations, to the city’s partner centers. This includes flights to London-Heathrow, Sydney and Tokyo-Haneda.
This Christchurch service will be unforgettable and, like the DFW-AKL service, indicates how strong American Airlines is in Australia and New Zealand.
1. Seattle to Bangalore
Considering the cake as one of the most anticipated routes for 2021 by a US airline, this will be the most risky new route in America.
When the airline announced flights, it would have a monopoly on nonstop routes between the U.S. and the growing technology hub in India. American will now have to handle United’s direct operations from San Francisco to Bangalore’s Kempegowda International Airport, meaning American will have to rely more on nonstop origin and destination traffic from Seattle and the Alaska hub to supply your plane.
Previously, American was not very successful flying to India for several reasons. Now that it has a more efficient aircraft operating the route, the airline has a little more space to make this route work, but it will still be a risky venture.
Which of these six routes do you most expect from American Airlines? Let us know in the comments!