American Airlines cuts routes, Prague, Edinburgh, Hong Kong

• American Airlines abandons five international markets as it waits for delayed Dreamliner planes.
• The carrier is cutting cities in Europe and Asia and reducing frequencies to Asia-Pacific destinations.
• While the Americans are removing some cities, they are adding an international market to the Middle East.

American Airlines is reducing its international network as Boeing delays delivery of its Dreamliner jets.

In an internal memo seen by Insider, American revealed that it is removing five international routes from its 2022 summer flight schedule because it will not have enough planes. Up to 13 Dreamliner jets were slated to be in the company’s fleet by this winter, according to the note, but Boeing failed to deliver wide-bodied jets, prompting the airline to cut several markets.

“Despite this setback, we will take steps to control what we can and deliver the best possible airline to our customers,” American chief revenue officer Vasu Raja said in the memo. “We will do our best to minimize the damage these aircraft delivery delays have caused to our long-haul portfolio while providing certainty for our customers who will start booking summer travel in the new year. “

The following cities will not be included in next year’s summer network:

Edinburgh, Scotland: This route has not flown since 2019, but when in service, the carrier used a 176-seat Boeing 757, according to The guy at the points. However, the plane was withdrawn in 2020 after the start of the pandemic and the American has yet to find an alternative option.

Shannon, Ireland: Like Edinburgh, flights to Shannon also ceased in 2019 and used a Boeing 757 aircraft. The carrier revealed in September that it would return from Philadelphia to the city on a seasonal basis using the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, although the delay delivery interrupted plans.

Hong Kong: Flights to Hong Kong from Dallas / Fort Worth have ceased after the onset of the pandemic as travel to the region is blocked. The 8,000-plus mile flight was the carrier’s longest route, but now that it’s discontinued, Seattle to Bangalore will claim the title when it is finally launched.

Prague, Czech Republic: Flights from Philadelphia to Prague launched in summer 2018 using a Boeing 767 and performed seasonal flights in 2019. The carrier abandoned the route in December 2020 to reassign planes used for transatlantic flights and put them on routes to Latin America and the Caribbean, according to an internal memo.

Dubrovnik, Croatia: American operated a route from Philadelphia to Dubrovnik in the summer of 2019, although it was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19. American was the first carrier in the United States to connect the country with Croatia in the past 10 years, according to Simple theft.

In addition to cut routes, American is also cutting frequencies to Shanghai and Beijing in China and Sydney, Australia, and is delaying the launch of its highly anticipated flight from Seattle to Bangalore, India, Raja said in the memo.

However, American has sprinkled more positive news in its announcements. Starting in June 2022, the carrier will fly from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar. American Oneworld partner Qatar Airways has already scheduled up to three daily flights to its home country next summer, according to its website.

“We look forward to welcoming our partner oneworld and our friends at American Airlines to our home airport in Doha, recently voted the world’s best airport, and offering connectivity to many business and leisure destinations in the region and beyond, ”said Qatar Airways’ commercial director. , said Thierry Antinori in a press release.