Announcement of routes for next summer follows news of United’s planned international expansion.
American Airlines intends to launch seven new routes from the US to Europe in 2027.
The Ft Worth, Texas-based carrier also plans to increase service to London Heathrow from New York’s John F Kennedy International airport to four flights daily, up from three, using Boeing 787-9s.
Some of the new routes, commencing as early as March, will be operated on American’s new Airbus A321XLR aircraft. The carrier has 40 of the single-aisle, long-haul aircraft on order.
American’s planned new routes for 2027 include:
- Charlotte to Barcelona from 27 May (777-200ERs)
- Chicago to Tokyo from 19 March (787-9s)
- New York (JFK) to Amsterdam from 28 March (A321XLRs)
- JFK to Nice from 6 May (A321XLRs)
- Philadelphia to Porto, Portugal from 28 March (A321XLRs)
- Philadelphia to Vienna from 6 May (A321XLRs)
- Philadelphia to Reykjavik, Iceland from 27 May (A321neos)
American will also extend seasonal routes from Charlotte to Paris and from Miami to Milan, launching 4 March, 2027.
Its expansion to London from New York will involve deploying more first-class suites, a key revenue generator as American works to catch up to the profitability of rivals Delta Air Lines and United Air Lines. As fuel costs eat into profits, demand for premium seats has proven resilient at nearly every airline and carriers have continued to invest in forward-cabin capacity as a result.
American’s announcement follows a similar release by United earlier in the week of its 2027 service plans, also involving A321XLRs.
The Chicago-based carrier unveiled 10 new international routes, five using incoming A321XLRs, including Newark to Luxembourg and Ibiza, and Washington Dulles to Toulouse. Others include San Francisco to Okinawa in Japan and Newark to Ljubljana in Slovenia, Terceira in the Azores and the Italian cities of Olbia and Catania.
United has 50 A321XLRs on order. It is using the aircraft, alongside A321neos, to replace 40 ageing Boeing 757s.
American and United are locked in a tight race for the top spot in global market share, with United eclipsing American since 2021. Delta and American now tie for second place.
American also trails in terms of proportion of its overall schedule dedicated to international flights, according to industry data.
In recent weeks, American announced plans to retrofit aircraft with more premium seats and seatback entertainment screens on all domestic flights.
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