Winter Sun: American Airlines Adds Caribbean Connections For New York JFK

American Airlines is solidifying its position as the leading carrier between the United States and Latin America/The Caribbean. Earlier today, the airline announced it is expanding its winter schedule with eight new routes.

Most growth in New York

American Airlines (AA) dominates the Latin American and Caribbean markets from the United States (US). Having a hub at Miami International Airport drives this, and American has more than 80 routes on which it faces no competition from that hub. Its home at Dallas Fort-Worth International Airport also has a significant network in Latin America and the Caribbean.

American is solidifying its presence in the two regions this winter, adding eight new routes from several hubs. Surprisingly, the additions are not focused around its Miami hub but rather, New York City. American is one of several airlines that have a hub at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) serving New York, and half of the routes announced today will be from JFK.

Three of the four new routes from JFK will only operate once weekly. From November 5, American will deploy a Boeing 737 (the variant was not specified) daily to Bridgetown, Barbados. This will provide competition against JetBlue, which plans to operate twice-daily flights on the same route in November. United will operate one weekly flight from its nearby hub at Newark Liberty International Airport.

Starting December 7, American will fly on Saturdays to St. Lucia, St. Maarten, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The St. Maarten flight will be operated by the Airbus A319 and the other two by 737s.

Photo: Greg K_ca | Shutterstock

According to a press release from American Airlines, this winter will be a record-breaking one. The airline’s flight offering will increase by 11% over 2023, and seats will increase by 10%.

“We are excited to continue growing our network to the region with more flights this winter to the Caribbean and Latin America than any other U.S. carrier ever.” – Brian Znotins, Senior Vice President of Network and Schedule Planning

Other hubs

St. Vincent and the Grenadines will receive two new routes from American this winter. Flights from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) will also start on December 7 and operate once weekly on a Boeing 737. The two new routes will complement American’s daily service from Miami.

Speaking of the South Florida city, it was not left out of today’s announcement. American Airlines will begin connecting Miami with La Romana in the Dominican Republic on the Airbus A319. The daily service will compete with Red Air’s daily operations.

Photo: BCFC | Shutterstock

Philadelphia International Airport will get two new routes, operating just once weekly. Flights to Bridgetown, Barbados, will launch on November 9 and will be operated by the Airbus A321s. On December 7, American will connect Philadelphia to Liberia, Costa Rica, once weekly on Saturdays on the Boeing 737.

Increasing service

On top of adding eight new routes, American is expanding service on 16 routes, focusing heavily on DFW. Those routes and frequencies can be found below: