American adds 8 new routes to the Caribbean, Latin America

American Airlines is getting even bigger in the Caribbean and Latin America.

The Fort Worth-based carrier announced on Thursday a slew of new routes to the region, including an all-new destination for the airline. These new routes are part of an expanded short-haul international schedule for the winter season, during which American seemingly expects plenty of winter-weary travelers to seek escapes from the cold.

You’ll find the full table of the new routes at the bottom of the story, but highlights include new service to La Romana in the Dominican Republic. This outstation hasn’t seen American service since 2017, when the airline operated regional jets to the La Romana International Airport (LRM) from Miami.

Map watching: The award for ‘sexiest new route’ of the year goes to …

This winter, American will fly daily service from Miami to LRM on a daily basis using an Airbus A319.

La Romana joins existing American service to Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Santo Domingo and Santiago in the Dominican Republic, Cirium schedules show. American will become the only U.S. airline serving La Romana, and given American’s massive hub in Miami, it will be able to offer plenty of one-stop itineraries to its new destination.

In total, American is adding eight new Caribbean routes (just one is a recent resumption), six of which are from the Northeast.

From American’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) hub in New York, the airline will add nonstop service to Bridgetown, Barbados; St. Lucia; St. Maarten and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Meanwhile, American is adding two new routes from Philadelphia, a hub that has been seemingly neglected in recent years when American was focused on expanding in New York and Boston with its now-defunct Northeast Alliance with JetBlue Airways.

Daily Newsletter

Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter

Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts

From Philly, American will add service to Bridgetown, Barbados, and Liberia, Costa Rica.

Notably, all of American’s new routes will be operated by mainline jets, as the carrier seemingly believes that there should be plenty of demand to the islands this winter.

Many of the new routes will launch on a Saturday-only schedule, intended for leisure travelers who want to spend a week at their destination. American’s upcoming winter schedule will be its largest ever, with over 11% more departures and 10% more seats compared to 2023.

In addition to the new routes, American is expanding service on 16 existing routes, and you’ll find the full list of routes at the bottom of the story. Many of these routes will be upgraded to daily service.

This winter, American plans to operate more than 2,350 peak weekly flights to over 95 destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean, making it the largest U.S. airline in the region.

Though American may be the largest airline in the region, several of its competitors are also expanding down south. This includes recent expansions from Delta and JetBlue. Notably, Delta also recently announced new service to Bridgetown, Barbados.

Tickets on all routes will be available for sale on the airline’s website and mobile app starting on May 20.