dailynewsnblog
American Airlines is the world’s sixth-largest operator for long-haul flights. On a typical day from now until next July, OAG data shows that the 
oneworld member currently plans 89 daily long-haul departures. There’s a low of 61 takeoffs (on January 19) to a high of 108 (on many dates).
97 long-haul routes are planned from ten hubs and other US airports. This excludes the time-limited operations from Asia and Europe to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show 2027. Perhaps unsurprisingly, 
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) has more services than anywhere else but, funnily enough, no new markets.
American Plans These Eight Long-Haul Routes
The following list is based on examining the carrier’s network from January 2025 to August 2026 and comparing its schedule from September 2026 onward. This process shows that the following markets are upcoming, all of which are due to begin or resume in 2027. As they have all been announced, this article simply summarizes the situation as of September 11. The picture will inevitably change.
The following list involves four hubs: 
Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), 
Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), 
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), and 
Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). While some of the markets have already been served, the brand-new additions are more exciting and notable.
Porto and Vienna will be brand-new cities on American’s growing map. The airline’s arrival in Porto will mean that all three of the US Big Three carriers will now fly there. American will be the sole US operator to the capital of Austria for the first time since Delta Air Lines pulled out in 2008. Given that Vienna International Airport(VIE) is a Star Alliance hub, it is perhaps surprising that United Airlines does not fly there. Reykjavík won’t be new to American’s network; more on that later.
Start Or Relaunch Date* | Route | American’s Operations | Head-To-Head Competition | Previously Served By American? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
March 20, 2027 | ORD to Tokyo Narita | Daily 787-9 | Yes (All Nippon, Japan Airlines***, United; and All Nippon, Japan Airlines, and United to Haneda) | Yes, in 2019 |
March 27, 2027 | JFK to Amsterdam | Daily A321XLR | Yes (Delta and KLM; and United from Newark. JetBlue ended JFK flights in 2025) | No (brand-new) |
March 27, 2027 | JFK to Tel Aviv | Daily 777-200ER | Yes (Arkia, Delta, El Al, and possibly Israir; and El Al and United from Newark) | Yes, in 2023 |
March 27, 2027 | PHL to Porto | Daily A321XLR | No (brand-new) | No (brand-new) |
May 6, 2027 | JFK to Nice | Daily A321XLR | Yes (Delta; and La Compagnie and United from Newark) | No (brand-new) |
May 6, 2027 | PHL to Vienna | Daily A321XLR (it’ll be blocked at over ten hours) | No (brand-new) | No (brand-new) |
May 27, 2027 | CLT to Barcelona | Daily 777-200ER | No | Yes, in 2019 |
May 27, 2027 | PHL to Reykjavík (Keflavik)** | Daily A321neo (not the XLR) | No (Icelandair operated until 2020) | No (brand-new) |
* Reflects what’s known as of September 11 | ** Not strictly long-haul | *** Pulls out on March 27, to be replaced by partner American |
American Will Return To Iceland After Eight Years
When American takes off for Reykjavík in 2027, it’ll be the second time the airline has flown to Keflavik International Airport(KEF). The first attempt was between June 2018 and October 2019, and it was a very different affair. The carrier deployed the now-retired Boeing 757-200 (shown above) from DFW, but it probably did not really want to serve the route.
The airline largely chose to enter the market as a competitive response. Icelandair began flying to DFW in May 2018, with flights existing until January 2019. The now-defunct Icelandic low-cost carrier WOW Air launched DFW flights in May 2018 and pulled out five months later.
It is hard to believe that DFW-KEF had three airlines. In July 2018, for example, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) shows that the trio carried 22,041 passengers and filled 84.3% of the available seats. It is highly likely that the fares and yields were poor because of the excess capacity. That’s why the Icelandic operators pulled out, and, having achieved its aim, American did so soon thereafter. Things will be quite different with the start of PHL-KEF service.
CLT Will Have A Record Nine Routes To Europe
American flew between CLT and Barcelona, Spain’s second most populous city and key tourist destination, including for cruises, between 2015 and 2019. The route to 
Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport (BCN) was previously operated by US Airways, from which airline American inherited its North Carolina hub.
The DOT shows that American transported 258,771 round-trip passengers and filled 77.4% of the available seats. Obviously, the majority of passengers (an estimated 78%) connected to another flight in CLT.
A huge proportion of the traffic will transit in 2027 too, not least because the existing local traffic is not high (33,000 passengers). Even Tampa-BCN had more passengers. Of course, American will increase the CLT market size from nonstop flights, but the local fares will be high to help offset the large number of transit passengers.
When flights to BCN resume next May, American will have nine routes from CLT to Europe. It’ll join services to Athens (daily 777-200ER), Dublin (daily 777-200ER), Frankfurt (daily 777-200ER), London Heathrow (three daily 777-200ER/777-300ER), Madrid (daily 777-200ER), Munich (daily 777-200ER), Paris CDG (daily 777-200ER), and Rome (daily 777-200ER). A record 11 daily flights will be available.
