American Airlines will launch nine new European routes next summer but also is pulling back on a few Asian routes amid higher fuel prices.
In late October, American will end nonstop service between Chicago and Shanghai, a route that "is unprofitable and simply not sustainable in this high-fuel-cost environment," according to VP of network and schedule planning Vasu Raja. The carrier is reaccommodating ticketholders on Shanghai flights from its other hubs, as well as flights from Chicago via Tokyo on its partner, Japan Airlines. American is asking the U.S. Department of Transportation for a dormancy waiver on the route so it can start it up again when conditions change.
In addition, American is cutting its service from Chicago to Tokyo's Narita Airport from daily to three days per week on Dec. 18. Japan Airlines plans to increase service on the route next summer so there are two daily flights; otherwise, it and American together will offer 10 flights per week on the route.
New American routes to Europe for 2019 include:
- From Charlotte: daily service to Munich beginning March 31.
- From Dallas-Fort Worth: daily seasonal service to Dublin and Munich beginning June 6.
- From Chicago: daily seasonal service to Athens beginning May 3.
- From Philadelphia: daily seasonal service to Edinburgh beginning April 2; service four times per week to Bologna, Italy, beginning June 6 and to Berlin's Tegel Airport beginning June 7; and service three times per week to Dubrovnik, Croatia, beginning June 7.
- From Phoenix: daily service to London Heathrow Airport, which will complement London-Phoenix service already offered by American joint business partner British Airways.
All routes except the Phoenix-London route are pending government approval.