American Airlines announced on Thursday that they are increasing their domestic summer schedule and reopening key Admirals Club lounges. The carrier is also offering double AAdvantage® miles for flights booked in June and expanding travel flexibility.
Today, American Airlines announced a substantial increase in their domestic summer flight schedule and the reopening of select Admirals Club lounges. Guests will also be offered new flexibility when booking or changing their flights as well as double AAdvantage® miles for flights booked in June. In July, American will fly 55 percent of its domestic and about 20 percent of its international schedule in at approximately 40 percent capacity compared to the same period last year. American Airlines is seeing a marked improvement in demand, carrying 110,330 passengers during the last week of May with a 55 percent average load factor, nearly quadrupling the average number of daily passengers during April. For summer, the carrier will increase flying from its hubs including Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and Charlotte (CLT) with increased service to Florida, the Gulf Coast and mountain destinations in Montana, Colorado and Utah. Additionally, the airline will increase service to popular leisure and business destinations such as Asheville, North Carolina (AVL), Savannah, Georgia (SAV) and Charleston, South Carolina (CHS). In Thursday’s announcement, American Airlines’ Senior Vice President of Network Strategy, Vasu Raja said,
“We’re seeing a slow but steady rise in domestic demand. After a careful review of data, we’ve built a July schedule to match. Our July schedule includes the smallest year-over-year capacity reduction since March. We’ll continue to look for prudent opportunities to restore service so our customers can travel whenever and wherever they are ready.”
While demand for international travel is expected to recover more slowly, American Airlines announced the restart of service to eight international destinations today. From Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) flights have been restarted to Amsterdam (AMS), Paris (CDG) and Frankfurt (FRA). From their Miami (MIA) hub, American has restored service to Antigua (ANU), Guayaquil (GYE) and Quito (UIO), while from Chicago (ORD), service is now available to London (LHR) and New York (JFK).
American Airlines also announced today the reopening of select Admirals Clubs from June 22, 2020. Some locations will offer pre-packaged snacks and a full service bar, while others will be opened as service centers, offering travel assistance. Hours will vary by location and capacity and offerings will be in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local guidelines. Health and wellness improvements at Admirals Club lounges include plexiglass shields at reception and service desks, foot operated door openers, hand sanitizer stations and social distancing signs and floor decals.
American Airlines has also increased flexibility for travelers when booking or changing tickets. The carrier is deploying new tools which will notify guests booked on fuller flights, allowing them to rebook on flights with fewer passengers, if available, at no extra charge. Additionally, American is waiving any change fees for tickets purchased for new travel by June 30, 2020. Guests will be allowed to change their origin and destination cities as part of this offer (excluding Basic Economy), but will be required to pay the fare difference, if any. American currently has a separate change fee waiver in place for all tickets, including Basic Economy, for travel through September 30, 2020. Finally, American Airlines further launched their “Summer of Deals” promotion today which includes double AAdvantage® miles for customers who sign up in advance and book flights during June for travel before September 30, 2020. AAdvantage® members can earn up to 10,000 bonus miles during the promotion period.
Source: American Airlines