American Airlines Adds 5 New European Routes for Summer 2025

Skift Take

The new routes are a bet that the international travel boom will continue next summer.

Meghna Maharishi

American Airlines is adding five new routes to Europe for summer 2025 out of its hubs in Charlotte, Philadelphia, Miami, and Chicago. 

One of the new routes will be from Philadelphia to Edinburgh, marking the first time since 2019 that the carrier has had service to the Scottish capital. 

The carrier is also expanding its Italy service, with a new route from Miami to Rome and another from Philadelphia to Milan. 

Here is a list of the new routes:

• Charlotte (CLT) to Athens, Greece (ATH): Daily service starts June 5.
• Chicago (ORD) to Madrid, Spain (MAD): Daily service starts March 30.
• Miami (MIA) to Rome, Italy (FCO): Daily service starts July 5. 
• Philadelphia (PHL) to Edinburgh, Scotland (EDI): Daily service starts May 23. 
• Philadelphia (PHL) to Milan, Italy (MXP): Daily service starts May 23. 

American said it also plans to bring back flights to Copenhagen, Nice, and Naples for summer 2025. 

Additionally, the airline is expanding capacity for flights to Asia next summer. Flights out of Los Angeles and Dallas to Tokyo and Shanghai will be operated either on Boeing 777s or 787s. 

This year, American had to trim its international schedule due to delivery delays with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. 

A Bet on International Travel

American’s route expansion for summer 2025 is a bet that the international travel boom will continue. A surge in demand for trans-Atlantic and Asia travel has boosted the profits of legacy carriers like American, Delta, and United since the pandemic. However, unlike Delta and United, American has a smaller international network. 

Compared to its competitors, American has also reported lower profits. For the second-quarter, American’s profits sank 46% primarily due to a botched distribution strategy that led to the firing of chief commercial officer Vasu Raja in June. 

While Delta and United have doubled down on international routes, American’s strategy has primarily focused on expanding capacity for short-haul routes in Sun Belt cities. But the carrier has also launched some splashy new international routes this past year. In February, American announced it would operate flights from Dallas to Brisbane, Australia — the longest nonstop flight on its schedule.