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American cancels four more routes to Austin and adds new international destination
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American cancels four more routes to Austin and adds new international destination

American Airlines continues its workforce reductions in Austin and is exiting four other markets there.

The Fort Worth-based airline filed plans over the weekend to cancel four routes from Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), as first seen in Cirium’s flight schedules and later confirmed by an airline spokesperson.

The affected markets are:

  • Boston
  • Nashville
  • Raleigh-Durham
  • Orange County, California

American will eliminate the first three routes in the first week of November and withdraw from the Austin-Orange County market on January 5, 2025.

In a statement confirming the move, an airline spokesperson said: “As part of our ongoing evaluation of our network, American will reduce service from Austin starting this winter. American will continue to offer customers access to our extensive global network of more than 350 destinations with nonstop connections.”

ZACH GRIFF/THE POINT GUY

With these cuts, American has wiped out virtually all of its growth in the Texas capital.

During the pandemic, American initially wanted to expand its presence in Austin. The airline wanted to establish itself as the first choice for passengers in Austin with a mix of business and leisure routes.

Starting in March 2021, the airline launched ten new routes, followed by 14 more just three months later, including both domestic and international flights to Mexico, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.

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In addition to new routes, the airline announced plans for a 15,000-square-foot Admirals Club in AUS, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, diverse seating areas, locally inspired art and live performances by local musicians. At its peak, some industry experts even speculated that Austin could even become a focus city for American.

However, a few years later the situation has changed dramatically.

Last year, American eliminated 21 routes from Austin, and in late July it eliminated five more. With the elimination of four more routes, the airline has largely reversed its recent expansion efforts. Austin will now resemble many of American’s other smaller outposts, leaving only a handful of routes. The full list of destinations is below:

  • Aspen, Colorado
  • Cancun
  • Charlotte
  • Chicago
  • Dallas-Fort Worth
  • Los Angeles
  • Los Cabos, Mexico
  • Miami
  • New York City
  • Philadelphia
  • Phoenix

Going forward, American Airlines travelers will have to transfer through nearby hubs to get to many top destinations from the city. (American Airlines said that despite these cuts, it will offer 30% more peak-day departures and more than 20% more peak-day seats from Austin next year than in 2019.)

Alternatively, American Airlines’ Austin flyers could defect to a competitor such as Delta Air Lines or Southwest Airlines – two of Austin’s largest airlines that jointly offer nonstop flights on many of the routes American Airlines has now canceled.

While this is an unfortunate outcome for Austin-based passengers, American has some good news for Texas as the airline is adding a new international destination to its network: Tampico, Mexico.

American will begin flying to Tampico on March 6, 2025. The airline’s regional subsidiary, Envoy Air, will operate a 65-seat Embraer E170 daily from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).

Tampico will be American’s 29th destination in Mexico, 27 of which will be served directly from DFW, the airline’s megahub. American last flew to Tampico in 2008, according to Cirium’s schedules.

“We are excited to continue expanding our network of more than 230 worldwide destinations that we serve directly from DFW. American is proud to be the largest U.S. airline operating in Mexico,” Jim Moses, senior vice president of DFW operations, said in a statement.

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