American Airlines teased that they’ll be making an announcement of new routes on Thursday. In their video you can see, for instance, New York and Cherry Blossoms. This is obviously the new New York JFK – Tokyo Haneda flight that was approved by the Department of Transportation.
You can also see indicia of Texas, and a koala. American Airlines has been pulling back from Los Angeles Pacific flying and though they’re willing to fly to joint venture partner hubs (they partner with Qantas), the Australian national carrier flies from Los Angeles to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane already and American serves Los Angeles to Sydney.
I’m hearing that American Airlines will be announcing Dallas – Fort Worth to Brisbane tomorrow. Here’s the teaser and see what you think.
When the enhanced joint venture between American and Qantas was first announced I expected that Dallas – Brisbane would be an early route addition. The head of the Brisbane airport expected it, too, and the CEO of Qantas International predicted their Boeing 787s made the most sense flying Brisbane to LA or Dallas.
Before Qantas began operating an Airbus A380 on the Sydney – Dallas route the flight was on a Boeing 747 and from Dallas to Sydney had to make a stop in Brisbane (but flew non-stop from Sydney to Dallas).
Just as the pandemic was starting aviation watchdog JonNYC predicted it was coming, but the route got delayed for obvious reasons.
Brisbane Skyline, Credit: Kgbo via Wikimedia Commons
Four years ago I was told by someone in a position to know that we wold see other South Pacific flying before Brisbane. And American Airlines doesn’t have a surplus of widebody jets to deploy. Boeing has been slow to deliver on the Boeing 787-9s that American has ordered. The 787-8s have been backfill for planes retired during the pandemic. And American has deferred deliveries of some of the larger jets. So I don’t know what aircraft will be funding these new routes, where the planes are coming from yet.
There are also references in the video to Hawaii and London as part of this announcement. We’ll learn full details soon enough. But regarding the Tokyo and Brisbane flights, as ‘Dollar’ Bill Stearn would say in Billions, “I am not uncertain.”
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