Thursday, June 4, was a notable day for American Airlines. A considerable nine routes began or resumed on that day, which is a significant number within 24 hours. While unusual, it is not uncommon. For example, the pan-European ultra-low-cost carrier Ryanair commenced eight routes on June 2, while Southwest Airlines will begin 13 links on June 6.

American’s additions included Lincoln. Whether surprisingly or not, the capital of Nebraska has not been served by the carrier or its regional unit, American Eagle, for 22 years. The return after more than a fifth of a century is thus particularly notable.

Four Routes Have Launched From Phoenix

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Inherited from US Airways, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) is American’s sixth-busiest airport by aircraft movements this month. The carrier’s schedule submission to OAG indicates an average of 531 takeoffs/landings combined in June. But due to the strong presence of Southwest Airlines at PHX, American only has 47% of the scheduled activity. It is far from being a fortress hub.

These four markets commenced on June 4: Abilene (daily Envoy Air E175), Bozeman (daily SkyWest E175), McAllen (daily Envoy Air and SkyWest E175, and Rapid City (daily Envoy Air E175). The US Department of Transportation (DOT) shows that Abilene and McAllen are brand-new markets from PHX; no airline has served them before. It means the oneworld member now serves nine airports in Texas from PHX.

The outdoor-loving destination of Bozeman was part of American’s network in the pandemic-driven 2021, when people were seeking out fun things to do in the country due to the need for open space. That was when Southwest Airlines served the market as well. Five years ago, six in ten of American’s flights were on mainline Airbus A319s. Now it’s fully on regional jets. Meanwhile, Rapid City, which is South Dakota’s second most populous city, was served by American Eagle between 2019 and 2022. In that period, the DOT shows that just 69% of seats were filled.

These Three Routes Are Now Served From Chicago

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Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) is American’s third-busiest hub, with 1,011 daily movements. 166 domestic and international routes are available in June, including three that launched on June 4. They are Allentown (twice-daily Envoy Air E170), Erie (daily SkyWest CRJ700), and Lincoln (daily SkyWest CRJ700).

American’s flights to Lincoln were last available in 2004, when three daily flights on the ERJ140/ERJ145 existed. Allentown was served in 2010/2011 and again between 2019 and 2023. Erie was last part of the airline’s ORD network in 2019.

All three destinations are already served by United Airlines from ORD or will be soon. United is the leading operator at ORD despite flight cuts mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration. After a three-year hiatus, United Express will return to Erie in October. Meanwhile, Cirium shows that it has scheduled more flights to Allentown than at any point in the last 15 years, and the number of services to the capital of Nebraska will be greater than in any year since 2005.

Two Routes Launched From Dallas/Fort Worth

Credit: Lincoln Airport

Everyone knows that Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is American’s top hub. 1,820 daily movements are available. The carrier has 85% of the activity, which means it is among the world’s leading fortress hubs. The oneworld member has 243 routes from DFW in June, which now include two brand-new markets.

On June 4, American Eagle took off its Texas hub to Lincoln (twice-daily SkyWest CRJ700) and Roanoke (daily PSA CRJ900). At 879 nautical miles (1,628 km), DFW is Roanoke’s new longest ever service. It covers 44% more distance than what was number one: Allegiant Air to Sarasota, which started last year.

In 2025, the DOT shows that DFW-Lincoln only had six round-trip local passengers each day. A disproportionately large number of people will have to connect elsewhere, or the route will have a poor load factor. United Express has operated between Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and Lincoln since 2022.