American Airlines will temporarily suspend its flights from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Buenos Aires/Ezeiza (EZE), Argentina, and Santiago (SCL), Chile. Both routes will maintain their seasonal operations after the Covid-19 health crisis.
These two connections have been operating temporarily since 2022, exclusively during the southern hemisphere’s summer season, catering to the increase in tourists on cruise trips to Antarctica, the Argentine Sea, Uruguay, and Brazil.
According to the reservation system, the cancellation starts on March 29 and extends until October 2024, responding to a restructuring of demand and delays in the delivery of new long-range aircraft as an unavoidable factor. The boreal summer season is one of the periods with the highest passenger traffic, mainly to Europe.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliners based in Dallas/Fort Worth will be reassigned to destinations such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Rome.
Chile Continues to Lose Destinations During the Low Season
In 2023, American transported 94,267 passengers to Dallas, according to the Civil Aviation Board of Chile, and this suspension is another blow to the connectivity of the South American country. However, the American airline will maintain its daily flights to Miami (MIA).
American is the third airline to announce a temporary suspension in Chile, focusing only on the southern summer season. Air Canada made a similar change with its route to Toronto, and United Airlines with the connection to Houston/Intercontinental (IAH), joining Aeroméxico, which has maintained seasonality since 2023.
Following these recent announcements, LATAM would dominate the market to central and western North America. Other options include connecting flights through Panama City (Copa Airlines), Bogotá (Avianca), and Santo Domingo (AraJet).
American to Strengthen Its Presence in Buenos Aires for the 2024/25 Season
In the 2023/24 season, American had one of the highest seat offerings in Buenos Aires, only surpassed by the 2018/19 season. The American airline operated daily flights to Dallas/Fort Worth, three daily flights to Miami (MIA), and ten weekly flights to New York (JFK). For the low season, New York and Miami will be reduced from three to two daily flights.
According to ANAC Argentina, American transported 598,005 passengers in 2023, with an average occupancy of 92%:
- Dallas/Fort Worth; 111,333 / 91%.
- New York; 160,337 / 89%.
- Miami; 324,326 / 93%.
For the next summer season 2024/25, the company will strengthen its presence in Buenos Aires, increasing from 38 to 42 weekly flights to the three American destinations compared to the previous season.
Starting October 27, 2024, it will resume operations to Dallas/Forth Worth with daily flights operated by Boeing 787-9. New York will increase from 7 to 14 weekly flights with Boeing 777-200 (ER). Finally, Miami will return with three daily flights using Boeing 787-8, Boeing 777-200 (ER), and Boeing 777-300 (ER).
