American Airlines has just added a bunch of seasonal winter routes to warm weather destinations, and my goodness there are some interesting new options…
Continue reading: American Airlines Adds Warm Weather Winter Routes
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Very excited about the JFK to SJD flights. Who is starting flights first American or eastern?
Any idea on launch and end dates?
So glad to see this winter's Covidiot Travel Trends: Skiing/Beaches...like every other winter though this is NOT every other winter. Maybe I'll look for some nice hotel in Fargo, ND with an indoor pool.
Wish there was a BIL to MCO direct route.. it'd be so much fun to ski and spent the winter in snow.
I dont get Saturday-only flights.
In the past, it made sense because there was the least amount of business travel, so the planes werent doing anything. But thats not the case anymore. The planes are all just sitting there.
Dont most people prefer going like Thursday night-Monday to make a 4 day weekend? Flying Saturday just wastes Saturday!
It seems airlines are having to limit flights to sun destinations to Mexico and domestic Florida/Arizona because much of the rest of the world doesn't want Americans visiting and won't let US passport holders in.
The daily Calgary route confuses me because most people flying to Calgary will have to self-isolate for 2 weeks after arriving, and Americans can't visit Canada for non-essential reasons. It seems snowbirds in Calgary will occupy the flights south, but I imagine the northbound flights will be pretty empty until the spring.
Phoenix to Raleigh and Pittsburgh are not new routes. Odd.
Also adding Miami-Des Moines, which was supposed to start in June but never did.
@James S,
“I dont get Saturday-only flights”
If you’ve got kids in online school, you can spend any week you want in FL/AZ/Mex, but you can only fly on Sat/Sun or they’re going to miss (online) class.
MCI-CUN
Dec 19 outbound Dec 26 return. $1,304 economy on AA non stop. $560 AA one stop. $2,191 r/t in Business. I can buy a whole lot of Christmas cheer at home.
This winter Hawaii may still be out. Ditto for Australia and Rio. Seems as though Mexico, Phoenix/Arizona and Florida will be hotspots. At least for now.
Calgary is not "confusing". No, people are not traveling to Calgary. They are flying from Calgary to Phoenix to get out of the cold. Nothing confusing about that!!
Can’t see these flights on BA website to try to book with Avios. Any thoughts? Thanks!
I can't see Calgary happen. Unless this thing subsides significantly and quickly in the United States, I don't imagine the Canadian government will open the border or lift the 14 day quarantine on arrival (that's actually enforced and that people actually follow).
There are quite a few adds, however they don’t seem all that significant since the majority are Saturday only. I never quite understood it except buying land packages, are for seven days? I’d think even twice weekly would be better?
SMF-CUN seems an odd seasonal route for AA @ SMF. Am I missing something? I can see new OW partner , Alaska flying this seasonally, but not AA. I believe AS has enough aircraft parked to operate this flight & on a lower cost basis than AA.
@robert ouch I can fly LGW or LHR-CAN in J for less than that return
Not that our Gov is allowing us to right now but my flights there in Nov were less than that and it's a hell of a lot more miles from Blighty
@preppyguyla
Alaska already does operate SMF-SJD (I think you meant sjd not cun) and Southwest used to do smf-sjd as well but cut it. So I think AA saw the opportunity to take over Southwest’s Cabo slot. Smart.. lots of NorCal spends lots of time in Cabo or hawaii.
PHX-PIT is not new at all. (It went away for Covid obviously but 1x daily is a reduction in service not an addition) AA has been flying that 2x a day for ever (US pre merger, and US and both HP flew it pre their merger) as an Arizonan who is a native Pittsburgher I fly that route all the time and have been anxiously awaiting its return since it was suspended for Covid, so I guess I'm happy but I'll be happy when it's back to 2x daily. They were even using an A320 for one of the flights pre covid, not A319s.
Saturday only flights are for the benefit of people who primarily work monday through friday and want to take a weeks vacation. They can leave on a saturday and return on a saturday. It frequently coincides with cruises and time share weeks. So it is geared to leisure travelers. Most of these routes would be unsustainable on a daily basis even in good times.