Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) in the US state of Texas has long been a key hub for American Airlines. People like to say that everything is bigger in Texas, and this is certainly true when it comes to American’s route network out of DFW, as this summer has seen the carrier add nine new routes to its roster. Three are domestic, while the new six international corridors showcase a lot of variety.

With DFW being one of the most important hub airports in the wider American Airlines network, these additions are not just targeting point-to-point traffic. Rather, the carrier will also be looking to leverage DFW’s hub status to encourage passengers from these destinations to fly into Texas and make onward journeys within the US with American Airlines or its regional partners. Let’s take a look at the routes.

American Airlines’ European Summer

Credit: American Airlines

According to present scheduling data made available by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, two of American Airlines’ nine new routes from DFW this summer serve cities located in Europe. Zurich Airport (ZRH) in Switzerland is a returning destination rather than a brand-new one, having last been served in 2007. These flights use the Boeing 777-200ER, and they run daily from May 21 to August 3.

Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport (ATH) in Greece, on the other hand, has never been served by American Airlines from DFW before. This route will see flights operated by both the 777-200ER and 777-300ER this year, with these services running daily from May 21 to September 7. Commenting on these two new routes, American’s Senior Vice President of DFW Operations, Jim Moses, said:

“New service to Athens and Zurich is a great example of how American continues to invest in its largest hub with even more opportunities to connect to destinations around the world.”

Other International Additions

Credit: Great Circle Map

Elsewhere on the international scene, American Airlines has also added two new long-haul routes to South America to its DFW summer roster. In both cases, these corridors serve destinations that American Airlines was already flying to, but did not previously have flights in the third quarter of the year, when the peak summer season tends to fall. They serve Buenos Aires (EZE) and Rio de Janeiro (GIG).

The latter of these is typically only served in the winter, and it has been 12 years since American Airlines operated Q3 flights from DFW to Rio. However, a one-off rotation in September with the Boeing 787-8 means that it will just about be served in the third quarter this time around. As for Buenos Aires, American Airlines will operate 18 rotations in July and two in August, also using the 234-seat Boeing 787-8.

Closer to home, AA has also added Q3 flights on its route to Loreto (LTO) in Mexico. These operate weekly using Envoy Air’s Embraer E175 regional jets under the American Eagle banner for most of the year, although this frequency doubles in the peak winter months. Puerto Escondido (PXM) is another new Mexican destination for AA from DFW, with these E175-operated flights running twice a week.

Domestic Growth

Credit: Great Circle Map

Given its size and population, the US also has a thriving domestic air market, and its busy nature is reflected by AA’s eagerness to grow on this front. With this in mind, it has added Q3 flights from DFW to Gunnison (GUC) for the first time. This route is normally only served in the winter.

These Airbus A319-operated flights will run daily from July 1 to September 8. Elsewhere, AA has also added two brand-new domestic routes from DFW this year: Lincoln (LNK) and Roanoke (ROA). The former is served twice a day by American Eagle flights operated by SkyWest Airlines’ Bombardier CRJ700 regional jets, while the latter uses PSA Airlines’ larger Bombardier CRJ900s on a daily basis.