American Airlines is dropping 5 international destinations from its summer 2022 schedule because it doesn't have enough planes
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- American Airlines is dropping five international markets as its waits on delayed Dreamliner aircraft.
- The carrier is cutting cities in Europe and Asia and reducing frequencies to Asia-Pacific destinations.
- While American is axing some cities, it is adding one international market in the Middle East.
American Airlines is reducing its international network as Boeing delays the delivery of its Dreamliner jets.
In an internal memo seen by Insider, American revealed it is cutting five international routes from its summer 2022 flight schedule because it won't have enough planes. According to the memo, up to 13 Dreamliner aircraft were expected to be in the company's fleet by this winter, but Boeing has failed to deliver the widebodies, prompting the airline to cut several markets.
"Despite this setback, we will take actions to control what we can and deliver the best possible airline to our customers," American's chief revenue officer, Vasu Raja, said in the memo. "We will do our best to minimize the damage these aircraft delivery delays have caused to our long-haul portfolio while giving certainty to our customers who will begin to book summer travel in the new year."
The following cities will not be included in next year's summer network:
Edinburgh, Scotland: This route has not flown since 2019, but when it was in service the carrier used a 176-seater Boeing 757 aircraft, according to The Points Guy. However, the plane was retired in 2020 after the start of the pandemic and American has not yet found an alternative option.
Shannon, Ireland: Like Edinburgh, flights to Shannon also ceased in 2019 and used a Boeing 757 plane. The carrier revealed in September that it would be returning to the city from Philadelphia on a seasonal basis using the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, though the delivery delay has halted the plans.
Hong Kong: Flights to Hong Kong from Dallas/Fort Worth ceased after the onset of the pandemic as travel to the region was blocked. The over 8,000-mile flight was the carrier's longest route, but now that it's dropped, Seattle to Bangalore will take the title when it eventually launches.
Prague, Czech Republic: Flights from Philadelphia to Prague launched in summer 2018 using a Boeing 767 and flew seasonally in 2019. The carrier dropped the route in December 2020 to reallocate the planes used for trans-Atlantic flying and put them on routes to Latin America and the Caribbean, according to an internal memo.
Dubrovnik, Croatia: American operated a route from Philadelphia to Dubrovnik in summer 2019, though it was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19. American was the first carrier in the US to connect the country to Croatia in the past 10 years, according to Simple Flying.
In addition to the cut routes, American is also reducing its frequencies to Shanghai and Beijing in China and Sydney, Australia, and delaying the launch of its highly anticipated flight from Seattle to Bangalore, India, Raja explained in the memo.
However, American did sprinkle more positive news into its announcements. Beginning June 2022, the carrier will fly from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport to Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar. American's Oneworld partner, Qatar Airways, already has up to three daily flights scheduled to its home country next summer, according to its website.
"We look forward to welcoming our oneworld partner and friends at American Airlines to our home airport in Doha, recently voted the World's Best Airport, and offer connectivity to numerous business and leisure destinations across the region and beyond," Qatar Airways' chief commercial officer, Thierry Antinori, said in a press release.
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