American Adds New Europe Routes In Summer Of 2025

American Adds New Europe Routes In Summer Of 2025


In recent years, summer demand for travel between the United States and Europe has been through the roof, so we’ve seen US airlines add as much capacity there as possible. Every year, we see airlines tweak their European route network a bit, based on both capacity and demand, and announce new services.

Along those lines, American has just announced its seasonal expansion for the summer of 2025, making it the first US carrier to announce these plans for next summer.

American adds five Europe routes in summer 2025

American Airlines has revealed that it will add five new summer seasonal transatlantic routes in 2025:

  • As of March 30, 2025, American will fly daily from Chicago (ORD) to Madrid (MAD) using Boeing 787-8s
  • As of May 23, 2025, American will fly daily from Philadelphia (PHL) to Edinburgh (EDI) using Boeing 787-8s
  • As of May 23, 2025, American will fly daily from Philadelphia (PHL) to Milan (MXP) using Boeing 787-8s
  • As of June 5, 2025, American will fly daily from Charlotte (CLT) to Athens (ATH) using Boeing 777-200ERs
  • As of July 5, 2025, American will fly daily from Miami (MIA) to Rome (FCO) using Boeing 777-200ERs
American’s new routes for summer of 2025

All of these are additional routes to existing destinations, with the exception of the Edinburgh service, as American hasn’t flown there since 2019. Tickets for the new routes are expected to be available as of September 9, 2024.

American is also bringing back the routes it added to Europe in the summer of 2024, including from Philadelphia (PHL) to Copenhagen (CPH), Naples (NAP), and Nice (NCE).

With this schedule, American claims it will serve Athens and Rome from more US airports than any other US airline, and also that it will offer more service to Spain than any other US airline.

American is adding new routes next summer

American expands capacity in eight markets in summer 2025

In addition to adding new routes altogether, American is also expanding capacity in several international markets for the summer of 2025.

First of all, American is extending the season for four transatlantic routes in the summer of 2025:

  • American’s summer seasonal daily Dallas (DFW) to Barcelona (BCN) route will launch earlier than planned, as of March 30, 2025, using Boeing 777-200ERs
  • American’s summer seasonal daily Philadelphia (PHL) to Athens (ATH) route will launch earlier than planned, as of March 30, 2025, using Boeing 787-8s
  • American’s summer seasonal daily Philadelphia (PHL) to Naples (NAP) route will launch earlier than planned, as of May 5, 2025, using Boeing 787-8s
  • American’s winter seasonal daily Miami (MIA) to Paris (CDG) route will be extended into summer, using Boeing 787-8s

Next, American will be operating larger aircraft on four routes to Asia in the summer of 2025:

  • American’s daily Dallas (DFW) to Shanghai (PVG) flight will be upgraded from a Boeing 787-8 to a Boeing 787-9
  • American’s daily Dallas (DFW) to Tokyo Haneda (HND) flight will be upgraded from a Boeing 787-8 to a Boeing 787-9
  • American’s daily Dallas (DFW) to Tokyo Narita (NRT) flight will be upgraded from a Boeing 787-8 to a Boeing 787-9
  • American’s twice daily Los Angeles (LAX) to Tokyo Haneda (HND) flight will be upgraded from a Boeing 787-8 to a Boeing 787-9

These upgrades represent a significant increase in capacity, in particular in business class. While American’s 787-8s only have 20 business class seats, you’ll find 30 seats on the 787-9, and 37 seats on the 777-200ER.

Some routes are getting bigger planes with more premium seats

My take on American’s summer 2025 expansion

Unsurprisingly, American’s European expansion in the summer of 2025 is limited, given the carrier’s lack of aircraft. American is dealing with delivery delays for both the Boeing 787 and Airbus A321XLR, which are the two planes with which American is able to grow.

Compared to past years, this expansion isn’t much to get excited about. Here are a few thoughts on these routes:

  • Edinburgh is the only new destination, so it’s cool to see that added, as Scotland is a pretty awesome country, and that was a gap in American’s network
  • As a Miami resident, I’m happy to see American add two transatlantic routes from the airport in the summer of 2025, as American’s network in summer has historically been limited to Barcelona, London, and Madrid
  • If anything, I’m a bit surprised to see the Asia expansion with larger jets in the summer of 2024; you’d think that you’d rather fly a larger plane to Europe rather than Asia in summer, given how demand trends have evolved
  • Given how strong premium leisure demand is, I continue to think a major issue for American is how few premium seats it has; American’s 787-8s have 20 business class seats and 787-9s have 30 business class seats, while United’s 787-8s have 28 business class seats and 787-9s have 48 business class seats
American’s 787-8s don’t have enough premium seats

Bottom line

American has announced its expansion for the summer of 2025. Edinburgh is the only new destination for the carrier, while the airline will also add new routes to Athens, Madrid, Milan, and Rome, all of which are existing destinations. American is also extending the seasons on some Europe routes, and is upgrading the capacity on some Asia routes.

What do you make of American’s expansion for next summer?



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