American Airlines is cutting frequencies from one of its busiest hubs this summer to several Caribbean routes. The routes affected feature multiple daily frequencies and are primarily offset by additions elsewhere.
Slimming down the season
The oneworld carrier is the largest operator at Miami International Airport (MIA) by a large margin. American Airlines accounted for 31.4 million passengers last year, pushing the Florida airport to a new record. According to data from Cirum, the frequency cuts come from primarily leisure-oriented routes.
New Record: Miami International Airport Served Over 52 Million Passengers Last Year
American Airlines unequivocally has the majority of the airport’s passenger market share.
Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport (MBJ) in Jamacia is the airport to lose the most seats from Miami. Beginning on April 4th, the 13:00 departure has been removed. The remaining 08:40 and 11:08 departures will stay throughout the year, with the early afternoon flight bookable again for the winter season.
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Elsewhere in Jamaica, American Airlines’ new service to Ocho Rios (OCJ) begins next weekend. It will be the carrier’s third destination in the country and the airport’s only operator with nonstop flights to the United States.
Slight summer adjustments
The Bahamas will also lose one of its daily connections in April. Down from its current schedule of six daily flights, Nassau’s Lynden Pindling International Airport (NAS) will no longer see one of its late morning departures. The changes begin on April 4th and extend until the end of May, when the frequency was previously due to be discontinued.
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American Airlines will be heading out to Governor’s Harbour in Eleuthera.
Passengers flying to Honduras may also see a change this summer as the airline pulls its evening flights from Miami in May. San Pedro Sula’s Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport (SAP) is currently served with daily lunchtime and evening flights, the latter of which is due to be briefly suspended. According to the airline’s schedule, the 18:00 flight (with departure times varying slightly) will no longer operate between May 1st and June 4th.
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The carrier’s 08:35 departure from Miami to Providenciales International Airport (PLS) in the Turks and Caicos has also been cut from the schedule earlier than expected. However, the carrier’s second daily flight from Charlotte (CLT) has been extended into August, and American is still operating more services than last August.
A little shuffle
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for the airline noted that as the largest US carrier to Latin America and the Caribbean, American Airlines is constantly evaluating its network. This winter, the airline operates more than 2,250 weekly to 90 destinations in the region, representing its biggest winter schedule to the Caribbean and Latin America yet.
In terms of international seats added from Miami, American Airlines is boosting its services to Santiago International Airport (SCL) in Chile in May with slightly larger aircraft. The carrier is swapping out the Boeing 787-8 on the route for the larger Boeing 777, which carries 273 passengers to the Dreamliner’s 234.
