American Airlines is introducing three new European markets during summer 2024 as part of a strategy to further rebuild its transatlantic network from Philadelphia and ensure better year-round utilization of its widebody fleet.

Flights will connect Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) with the French coastal city Nice from May 6, followed by Naples, Italy, from June 5 and Copenhagen from June 6. All three destinations are new cities for the Oneworld alliance member, and each will be served daily using Boeing 787-8s to Naples and 787-9s to Nice and Copenhagen.

Additionally, American will launch a new daily route between Dallas-Fort Worth and Barcelona, Spain, a city that is currently served daily from Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Miami International, New York John F. Kennedy (JFK), and PHL. It will also bring back flights between ORD and Venice (VCE), Italy—a route last operated in October 2019.

Brian Znotins, American’s senior vice president of network and schedule planning, says the carrier was keen to add new transatlantic destinations during summer 2023, but uncertainties surrounding Boeing deliveries meant the airline opted to increase frequencies on existing routes. However, he adds that the capacity will be available next summer.

Znotins also says that American has adapted its widebody strategy in recent years to achieve better year-round utilization. This involves using aircraft that typically operate long-haul South Pacific or South America routes during the winter months, such as DWF-Auckland, to be paired with seasonal transatlantic destinations during the summer.

“We are pairing those aircraft together as much as we can so that we don't find ourselves flying a widebody to Dubrovnik in the summer, and then putting it in the domestic system in the winter where it underperforms a narrowbody,” Znotins says.

He adds that the decision to launch the three new European markets from Philadelphia, rather than JFK, was “not a trade-off of one versus the other,” saying that the airports serve as distinct hubs. For example, American will be able to offer about 40 domestic connections through PHL for the flight to Copenhagen, while the number would be much lower through JFK because of gate and slot restrictions.

“When we fly from JFK, it’s really about the local market,” Znotins says. “Can we sell to New Yorkers? And then when we fly from Philadelphia, it's really about the entire U.S. Can we sell to the entire U.S.?

“For some markets like [New] Delhi and Tel Aviv, it's all about the New York local market—that's where the huge populations are that want to go to those points. And then for other markets like Naples and Copenhagen, it's better to be in Philadelphia ... We're looking to get people from all over the country to these new destinations, and Philadelphia does that better than any of our other hubs.”

American offers 11 European routes from PHL at present, serving the likes of Amsterdam, Greek capital Athens, London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Zurich. About 42,100 two-way weekly seats are available, OAG Schedules Analyser data shows, compared with 61,200 at this time in 2019 when the airline served 19 European points. Since summer 2019, American has ended flights from PHL to Berlin; Bologna, Italy; Budapest, Hungary; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Edinburgh, Scotland; Manchester, England; Prague; and Shannon, Ireland.

The three new routes from PHL come just weeks after American announced plans to switch its Doha service from JFK to PHL. The route will transfer from Oct. 29. The carrier will also resume daily service between PHL and San Antonio from June 5, 2024, until Sept. 3 for the first time since 2020.   

In addition to announcing the summer 2024 plans, American has also made changes to its winter 2023-24 schedule. Among the changes are DFW-Buenos Aires, Argentina, increasing to daily from Oct. 29; DFW to Cozumel, Mexico, growing to 2X-daily from Jan. 8 through April 3; and Miami to St. Maarten rising to 3X-daily from Jan. 8 to April 3.