United Airlines is more reliant on international flights than other big U.S. airlines. They are out today with an expansion of their international route network for August.
On Saturday I told you that one was coming from American that’s much broader including, quoting internal comments by CEO Doug Parker, “what we plan to fly next summer and what we don’t plan to fly.” That announcement is now out.
They’re revamping their international strategic focus, and bringing back many routes for summer while break-even load factors are so low thanks to the CARES Act. LAX is no longer their Pacific hub. They’re doubling down on close partnerships. And that means a lot of flight changes.
- Summer 2021 will still be 25% below 2019. The airline indefinitely parked or retired Boeing 757s, Boeing 767s, and Airbus A330s.
- Focus on connecting markets leveraging partnerships. Hubs and connectivity with joint venture partners is how Senior Vice President Vasu Raja sees the airline’s strength.
The airline will use Dallas, not LAX, as their primary transpacific hub and Miami remains focal for Latin. They are pulling back some flying from both Philadelphia (their main European gateway) and Charlotte.
Routes killed:
- Philadelphia: They won’t fly Philadelphia – Casablanca after all, and are killing Philadelphia – Berlin, Budapest, and Dubrovnik.
- Charlotte: Killing Barcelona, Rome, and Paris
- Dallas Fort-Worth: Dropping Munich
- LAX: takes a beating, dropping China flights Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shanghai and they’re also dropping Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo. Hong Kong was relatively cheap to operate because they needed two planes to operate to and from Dallas, adding LAX took only one additional aircraft. The future there then is seen as really grim.
- Miami: loses Brasilia and Milan
- Chicago O’Hare: has been a weak international city for American, scaling back, and it will lose a chunk of its summer leisure Europe – Budapest, Krakow, Prague, and Venice. Budapest, Prague and Krakow were supposed to be new routes.
Leaning into their British Airways joint venture they anticipate a full Heathrow schedule by summer 2021. They’ll also double down on their Alaska Airlines partnership, still planning to launch Seattle – Bangalore and seeking to move LAX-Shanghai to Seattle.
The airline also announced the following service resumptions or launch of previously planned new routes:
| Origin | Destination | Schedule change | ||
| Charlotte (CLT) | Frankfurt (FRA) | Service resumes summer 2021 | ||
| CLT | London (LHR) | Service resumes winter 2020 | ||
| CLT | Munich (MUC) | Service resumes winter 2020 | ||
| Chicago (ORD) | Barcelona (BCN) | Service resumes summer 2021 | ||
| ORD | Dublin (DUB) | Service resumes summer 2021 | ||
| ORD | Paris (CDG) | Service resumes summer 2021 | ||
| Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) | Beijing (PEK) | Service resumes summer 2021 | ||
| DFW | Buenos Aires (EZE) | Service resumes winter 2020 | ||
| DFW | Lima (LIM) | Service resumes winter 2020 | ||
| DFW | Sao Paulo (GRU) | Service resumes winter 2020 | ||
| DFW | Rome (FCO) | Service resumes summer 2021 | ||
| DFW | Santiago (SCL) | Service resumes summer 2021 | ||
| DFW | Tel Aviv (TLV) | Service launches winter 2021 | ||
| Los Angeles (LAX) | Auckland (AKL) | Service launches winter 2021 | ||
| LAX | LHR | Service resumes winter 2020 | ||
| LAX | Sydney (SYD) | Service resumes summer 2021 | ||
| New York (JFK) | CDG | Service resumes winter 2020 | ||
| JFK | BCN | Service resumes summer 2021 | ||
| JFK | EZE | Service resumes winter 2020 | ||
| JFK | Rio de Janeiro (GIG) | Service resumes winter 2021 | ||
| JFK | GRU | Service resumes winter 2020 | ||
| JFK | Madrid (MAD) | Service resumes summer 2021 | ||
| JFK | Milan (MXP) | Service resumes summer 2021 | ||
| Miami (MIA) | CDG | Service resumes summer 2021 | ||
| MIA | GIG | Service resumes winter 2020 | ||
| MIA | GRU | Service resumes Aug. 6, 2020 | ||
| MIA | MAD | Service resumes summer 2021 | ||
| MIA | SCL | Service resumes Aug. 5, 2020 | ||
| Philadelphia (PHL) | Amsterdam (AMS) | Service resumes winter 2020 | ||
| PHL | DUB | Service resumes winter 2020 | ||
| PHL | LHR | Service resumes winter 2020 | ||
| PHL | Manchester (MAN) | Service resumes summer 2021 | ||
| PHL | MAD | Service resumes winter 2020 | ||
| PHL | CDG | Service resumes summer 2021 | ||
| PHL | FCO | Service resumes summer 2021 | ||
| PHL | Zurich (ZRH) | Service resumes summer 2021 | ||
| Phoenix (PHX) | LHR | Service resumes winter 2020 | ||
| Raleigh (RDU) | LHR | Service resumes winter 2020 | ||
| Seattle (SEA) | Bangalore (BLR) | Service launches winter 2021 | ||
| SEA | LHR | Service launches summer 2021 | ||
| SEA | Shanghai (PVG) | New service subject to government approval |
Miami – São Paulo and Santiago are two routes I told you on Saturday to expect. Neither route is expected to have a lot of passenger demand. Currently Brazil passenger arrivals into the U.S. are restricted. American’s bet is that a low level of passenger demand, supplemented by a bit of cargo, will make the flights work. Remember that the airline is already paying for its planes, and thanks to the CARES Act is paying its crews through September 30 so the cost of incremental flying is mostly just fuel. Break-even load factor is low right now.
American also announced that change fee waivers for new ticket purchases are extended through July 31 excluding Basic Economy and award tickets. New more expensive AAdvantage change fees go into effect today.
Well thats an interesting readjustment however be it AA or UA what is published today may not be there tomorrow. All of this is a moving target however one has to start somewhere. Looks like the AS partnership just became very important to AA let us hope they will open up more to us AS flyers, as to date AA reward offering to us sucks.
Philippine Airline has a presence in SEA, that would help with connecting traffic in both directions for AA and could lead to partnership with Alaska.
Wonder how long itll take AA to tell me my LAX-HKG flight is canceled and what the rebooking will look like.
Gary, Will AA rebook cancelled or delayed resumption flights on One World carriers (like BA) on award tix?
SEA – PVG is the highlight of this announcement. As an Alaska loyal pax I like.this partnership with AA . Definitely cant wait for the BLR and PVG . AA will not exit LAX completely for sure ..as they gonna be stronger domestic feeder for their pax and for 1 world airlines . AA and BA itself got nearly 8 mode service LHR together..plus QR..JL..QF etc
It’s gonna be a mess. Without the 757s and 767s, AA has NO plan on how to fly to secondary markets. No plan.
This makes a great deal of sense. Looks like JFK/LGA; BOS; and LAX are focused on local traffic; key international destinations and OneWorld partnerships. PHL; CLT; MIA; DFW; ORD and PHX are the true hubs in the AA system now. PHX has been growing of late (mostly mainline) as the tech and financial industries are booming here and so is the population. That being said once COVID-19 is back under control AA’s strategy is to focus on profitability and leveraging their JV/OneWorld partners makes sense. UA and DL have to expand long haul faster since that was where they put all their eggs with the US secondary. DL’s partners are in the worst shape (3 already bankrupt) and will be shells of their former selves. AA can handle the Americans (north and south) without partner support (although GOL will be grow and a plus in S. America) and JAL; IAG; Qatar; Qantas and China Southern will be around for the long haul verses the “Virgins”.
AA is finally getting out from under the US Air/Scott Kirby shadow and making smart moves for the future. Focusing on profits and a better service. . .something DL used to due.
Hmmm…the table above indicates JFK -> CDG will resume “winter 2020” but ITA Matrix shows those flights commencing August 5 and continuing uninterrupted. Do you suspect the changes listed just haven’t been loaded into AA’s schedule yet?
@Jim- I believe that the change in the restart date of JFK-CDG hasn’t been loaded into the system yet. I think winter 2020 means the IATA winter season that starts around the end of October.
After all, nothing says big Pacific gateway like … Dallas?
Way too much “Fortress Dallas” in this plan.
Dallas is not an appropriate Pacific gateway. All those west coasters wanting to go to Asia will have to fly east to Dallas to fly west to their overseas destination. LAX should be that gateway.
Nor is Dallas a good departure point for AA’s only flight to Madrid for the near future. I’m guessing there are other European destinations that are only being served from Dallas, but I don’t have a list of flights that they are already flying. AA should use one of their four east coast hubs (JFK, PHL, CLT, MIA) for Europe. None of us east coasters want to fly three hours west to Dallas to catch a flight back east to Europe. It will be faster to fly United, Delta, or a European carrier and make the connection within Europe.
The Dallas focus of this plan shows lack of strategic thinking.
So CLT is now a domestic and Caribbean hub. I will have to up my DL/Flying Blue game. I am lifetime platinum there, and anytime I go to Europe in the future (with a big IF and WHEN) that seems to be a better service level/connection then my forced PHL/JFK/DAL/MIA connection. Shame…
There’s no mention of CLT-MAD. What are your thoughts on that returning?
@Joe: if it isn’t mentioned it isn’t on the cards any time soon. Europe in general is “closed” for US visitors for now, and when that changes (who knows when) demand will be tepid, and MAD will be serviced from other locations (PHL, DAL). CLT to MAD will be through LHR – as and when – and perhaps you will connect on the dreaded Vueling…
With Covid-19 still very much unconstrained in the US and countries banning or restricting US travelers, it seems hard to predict what future demand will be for domestic routes much less international ones. Restarting service to Brazil in August is questionable.
It is great that AA and AS are solidifying the partnership. But just a year ago AA wanted a divorce. Now they have seen the light? Abandoning LAX international routes is a mistake. It is going to be hard to compete in Asia flying from DFW. The routes are longer which means higher costs and longer flights. When DL has SEA, PDX and LAX, and UA has SFO they can beat AA on cost and flight time. Trading LAX Tom Bradley Terminal for SEA South Satellite terminal is a big loss in terms of lounges and just about everything else. And to the extent AA relies on partners rather than its own metal, that means no SWU upgrade opportunities on those flights. Instead of funneling traffic to SEA to connect to Oneworld partners why not do the reverse. There are many more Oneworld flights out of LAX.
Next thing you know AA will be treating LAX the way it treated JFK. Once AS joins Oneworld this new strategy will be one more big incentive to switch to AS.
I have to say that I find Mr. Leff’s posts more insightful and informative than perhaps some of the items he posted in the past. Thank you for laying out the information clearly, and for placing it in context; very helpful.