American Airlines adds 8 new routes to Miami, 1 new international destination

American Airlines is turning up the heat in South Florida with a major network expansion.

The airline, which operates a hub in Miami, will add eight new routes this winter, one of which will be a new addition to its route map.

Beginning February 3, American will begin non-stop service to Governor’s Harbor in the Bahamas. The service will be up and running on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and technically it will represent a resumption for Americans. Cirium’s schedule shows the airline operated flights between the two airports in the winter of 2009.

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In addition to the new international route, American is also strengthening its domestic connections to and from Miami with the introduction of seven new routes, including flights from Miami to:

• Buffalo. (Only Saturdays from November 11, 2023 to March 30, 2024.)
• Cedar Falls, Iowa. (Only Saturdays from November 11, 2023 to March 30, 2024.)
• Lexington, Kentucky. (Only Saturdays from November 11, 2023 to March 30, 2024.)
• Portland, Oregon. (Daily service year-round starting November 5th — as previously reported.)
• Sacramento. (Daily service year-round starting December 20.)
• Wichita. (Only Saturdays from November 11, 2023 to March 30, 2024.)
• Wilmington, North Carolina. (Only Saturdays from November 11, 2023 to March 30, 2024.)

In addition to the new routes, American will also increase frequency on existing domestic and international flights, with the full list available at the end of the story.

All told, American will offer a whopping 380 daily departures this winter, which is the largest schedule the airline has ever offered from Miami. American’s Miami operations include 150 direct destinations, nearly half of which are located outside the country.

What’s more, Americans touted that they offer 85 unique destinations that no other airline serves from Miami — an ever more important talking point for Americans.

That’s because, before the pandemic, Miami was once the fortress center of America. Today, less so.

Miami International Airport (MIA) has seen some impressive growth in recent months from many airlines, but nothing compares to what Spirit Airlines has brought to market.

Extremely low cost carrier First time to Miami in October 2021 and bring low fares to 30 new destinations.

While Spirit currently goes head-to-head with Americans on many routes, the airline also faces some formidable competition from the fledgling joint venture partnership between Delta Air Lines and the airline. South America’s largest LATAM.

Those two carriers official unifying force at the end of 2019, dragging LATAM from the US and the Oneworld alliance. Now the binding is done approved by the governing bodyDelta and LATAM are on their way to making Miami one gateway hub for access to Latin America – an area where Americans once dominated.

Despite increased competition, American remains the largest carrier in the region, a fact Juan Carlos Liscano, American’s executive vice president of Miami hub operations, reiterated in an interview with TPG.

“We’ve been able to say we’ve been Miami’s home airline for a long time, but in our 34-year history as a hub in Miami, this will be the biggest schedule yet. our ever,” said Liscano.

To support all the growth, American hired 2,000 new employees based in Miami, bringing its total in the region to a whopping 14,300 employees – the most in the history of the airline, Liscano share.

In addition to the locals flying in Miami, Americans also want to capitalize on the growing demand to travel to South Florida during the winter, a trend that’s especially evident during the pandemic when so many international destinations closed.

While American Airlines may have Miami’s largest airline network, it no longer has the naming rights to the city’s basketball arena, now known as the Kaseya Center as part of an 117.4-dollar deal million dollars recently signed.

Liscano said that although American has not renewed the naming rights, the airline is still making moves in the commercial and commercial sectors in Miami. After all, American is the only airline with 150 direct destinations from the airport.

“There are other ways to show love for Miami and how we continue to demonstrate our commitment to both growth and to Miami,” he added.