American Airlines Launches Nine New Seasonal Routes to Europe

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In recent years, U.S. travelers have increasingly flocked to European cities beyond the once-typical destinations such as Paris, London, and Rome. In response, American Airlines is broadening its European reach with new routes to destinations that are becoming more in demand for travelers, such as Croatia, Greece, and cities across Germany.

As of this summer, passengers will have access to nonstop seasonal service from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) to Berlin-Tegel Airport (TXL) in Germany, Bologna Guglielmo Marconi Airport (BLQ) in Italy, Dubrovnik Airport (DBV) in Croatia, and daily seasonal service to Edinburgh Airport (EDI) in Scotland.

There will also be new daily summer seasonal routes between Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Athens International Airport (ATH) in Greece, as well as between Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Dublin Airport (DUB) and Munich Airport. Two new daily routes were also recently added to American’s network between Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) in North Carolina and Munich Airport (MUC) and between Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) in Phoenix and London Heathrow Airport (LHR). Both flights began in March and will operate year-round.

As Vasu Raja, vice president of network and schedule planning, explained in a press release from the company, “Through our Atlantic Joint Business, we have seen increased interest to these markets from the U.S., and adjusting our network to introduce these destinations will provide more choices for customers on both sides of the Atlantic.”

Recent tourism data also shows increased demand for these locations. Croatia saw staggering tourism growth in 2018. According to the country’s Ministry of Tourism, Dubrovnik welcomed an increase of 53 percent more tourists in 2019 alone compared to the same period last year. Berlin’s tourism growth remains high as well. In 2015, Berlin surpassed Rome to become the third-most visited city in Europe, behind London and Paris, and 2018 saw a record number of tourists to the city. Meanwhile, Greece just saw its sixth consecutive year of growth as its tourism boom fuels its recently downtrodden economy. In 2018, U.S. travelers made up the largest number of overnight stays in Munich, and Bologna and Edinburg continue to set record-breaking numbers for arrivals and overnight stays.

American Airlines’ 2019 seasonal expansion follows the new seasonal routes to Iceland, Budapest, and Prague that began in 2018.

As Raja further explained in the press release, “By providing the only nonstop service from North America to Bologna and Dubrovnik and adding Berlin to our international footprint, American is making it easier to see the world.”

This content was created collaboratively by American Airlines and Skift’s branded content studio, SkiftX.