Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, of American Airlines, taking off from Barcelona Airport, in Barcelona on February 24, 2023.
Jan Valls | Nurphoto | Getty Images
As social media makes its seasonal shift from the Parthenon to pumpkin patches, airlines are busy preparing for the 2025 European travel season, a bet that strong demand for international travel will continue next summer.
American Airlines On Thursday, the airline unveiled new routes to Europe for the spring and summer of next year. The airline launched nonstop service from Chicago to Madrid beginning March 30; Philadelphia to Milan beginning May 23; Philadelphia to Edinburgh, Scotland, beginning May 23, returning for the first time since 2019; Charlotte, North Carolina, to Athens, Greece, beginning June 5; and Miami to Rome beginning July 5.
Rivals united airlines and Delta Air Lines They are expected to release their 2025 travel plans in the coming weeks.
American said its transatlantic capacity next summer will be up in the low- to mid-single digits from this year, and executives are confident consumers will continue to prioritize travel.
“In 2023, when we saw this demand in Italy and Greece, some speculated that this was a one-year thing. But this year, that momentum has continued and our flights are full and yields are strong,” said Brian Znotins, senior vice president of network planning for American Airlines. “There is a case for increased capacity to meet demand.”
American's data shows that travelers, even from other airlines, often stop in Europe to get to Athens, in particular, Znotins said. Next year, American said it will have four daily nonstop flights from the U.S. to Athens from “more U.S. airports than any other,” and that more travelers will be able to stop through American's hubs, such as Charlotte.
The airline will also bring back other European flights from its Philadelphia hub to Naples, Italy; Nice, France; and Copenhagen, Denmark, as well as extending winter seasonal service between Miami and Paris into the summer season.
Delays in Boeing's 787 Dreamliners over the past few years have prompted American and other airlines to rethink some of their flights and cut back on certain international flights that serve the long-haul planes. American is also reconfiguring some of its older Boeing 777s to accommodate a larger business-class cabin.
Znotins said he and his team crafted next year's map with both in mind.
“Obviously there is some level of uncertainty in the world of aircraft delivery and also in our reconfigurations,” Znotins said. “We are confident that we will be able to fly these routes as we have published them, but in an uncertain world it is always good to have a backup,” such as other hub cities serving Athens, for example, in case a passenger needs to be rerouted.
