Two days ago, United Airlines made a blockbuster announcement about its 2027 summer schedule with some eye-opening destinations like Ibiza, Sardinia and Sicily. Well, today American Airlines revealed its own lineup of new routes and destinations for 2027.
Is the timing a coincidence, or did American want to take some of the limelight away from its biggest competitor and arch nemesis, United?
Either way, American’s announcement isn’t nearly as exciting as United’s, at least in my opinion. And selfishly, I was bummed to see nothing new to or from LAX. I was especially hoping American would reinstate its nonstop flight between Los Angeles and Toronto (YYZ), since my family travels to Canada so often.
Still, there are some interesting additions, particularly from Philadelphia and New York, and American is putting its new Airbus A321XLR to work on several routes.
Here’s what travelers can expect.
American Airlines’ new routes for 2027
American says it will operate all of the following routes daily:
| Route | Start date | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte (CLT) – Barcelona (BCN) | May 27 | Boeing 777-200ER |
| Chicago (ORD) – Tokyo Narita (NRT) | March 19 | Boeing 787-9 |
| New York (JFK) – Amsterdam (AMS) | March 28 | Airbus A321XLR |
| New York (JFK) – London Heathrow (LHR), fourth daily flight | March 28 | Boeing 787-9 |
| New York (JFK) – Nice (NCE) | May 6 | Airbus A321XLR |
| Philadelphia (PHL) – Porto (OPO) | March 28 | Airbus A321XLR |
| Philadelphia (PHL) – Reykjavik (KEF) | May 27 | Airbus A321neo |
| Philadelphia (PHL) – Vienna (VIE) | May 6 | Airbus A321XLR |
Tickets are scheduled to go on sale August 31. Not everything on that list is completely new. Chicago to Tokyo Narita and Philadelphia to Porto had already been announced, while Charlotte to Barcelona is a returning route. American is also restoring a fourth daily JFK-London Heathrow flight.
American is also extending the season on two existing routes. Charlotte to Paris (CDG) and Miami to Milan (MXP) will begin March 4, 2027, earlier than they have previously.
Philadelphia gets three new international destinations
Philadelphia is arguably one of the biggest winners in the announcement. American is adding flights from PHL to Porto, Reykjavik and Vienna. Porto and Vienna will be new destinations for American, while Reykjavik returns to the airline’s network for the first time since 2019.
Vienna is especially interesting since I was just there twice this summer. American says it will be the only U.S. airline serving the Austrian capital, and the route will operate beyond the traditional summer season into early January 2028. That means travelers will be able to use the nonstop for Vienna’s famous Christmas markets.
The flight will be operated by American’s Airbus A321XLR, the long-range narrowbody that is opening up some fascinating possibilities for airlines across the Atlantic.
Cranky Flier points out that at roughly 4,333 miles, Philadelphia-Vienna will become the longest scheduled A321XLR route in the world. That’s a pretty remarkable demonstration of what this aircraft can do and exactly the type of route for which the XLR was designed: markets that might not have enough demand for a large widebody but could work with a smaller long-range aircraft.
American is using the A321XLR to grow at JFK
American will also use the A321XLR to launch two new routes from New York JFK: Amsterdam and Nice. Nice makes a lot of sense as a summer leisure destination. It’s the gateway to the French Riviera and puts travelers within easy reach of Cannes, Antibes, Villefranche-sur-Mer, Monaco and other popular spots along the Côte d’Azur.
Amsterdam is more interesting because American plans to operate it year-round. American already flies to Amsterdam seasonally from Dallas-Fort Worth and year-round from Philadelphia.
The A321XLR could be key to American’s strategy in New York. American doesn’t have anything close to the transatlantic presence at JFK that Delta has, while United has built a huge European network across the river at Newark. Instead of trying to compete by filling large widebody aircraft on every route, American can use the smaller A321XLR to serve important destinations that might otherwise be difficult to make work.
It’s one of the reasons I’ve been so interested in this airplane. It allows airlines to experiment with thinner international routes that might never support a 777 or 787. But to be clear, I have no desire to spend that many hours on a narrowbody unless it’s a private jet.
Chicago gets another Tokyo option
American is also launching daily service between Chicago O’Hare and Tokyo Narita on March 19, timed for the popular cherry blossom travel season. The flight will be operated with a Boeing 787-9 and will complement American’s partnership with Japan Airlines, giving passengers additional connecting opportunities throughout Japan and elsewhere in Asia.
Charlotte gets Barcelona back
American will also bring back nonstop service between Charlotte and Barcelona beginning May 27 using a Boeing 777-200ER. American says Charlotte will become its sixth U.S. gateway to Barcelona, giving travelers across its network another option for reaching one of Spain’s most popular destinations.
More American Airlines flights between New York and London
American is also restoring a fourth daily flight between JFK and London Heathrow beginning March 28. The flight will use a Boeing 787-9 equipped with American’s new Flagship Suite seats. Combined with partner British Airways, American says the two airlines will offer as many as 14 daily flights between New York and London.
That’s an enormous amount of capacity, but New York-London is also one of the world’s most important business and premium travel markets.
Why isn’t American adding even more?
Cranky Flier reports that American had originally expected to have 13 new aircraft available for summer 2027 but, because of aircraft delivery delays, will instead have just five. That goes a long way toward explaining why American’s announcement looks relatively modest compared with United’s.
It also makes me wonder what American might have announced if all of those airplanes had arrived on schedule. Perhaps some of those ideas are simply being pushed into 2028.
United definitely won the award for the more exciting 2027 route announcement this week. Destinations like Ibiza and Sardinia are going to generate a lot more buzz than Amsterdam or another flight to London. But American’s announcement is still noteworthy, especially because we’re beginning to see how the airline intends to use its Airbus A321XLR fleet.
As for me, I’m still waiting for some love for LAX. American, if you’re listening, how about bringing back that nonstop to Toronto?
Related: American Airlines Is Upgrading Its Free Inflight Snacks and I’m All for It
