An American Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner takes off from Barcelona Airport in Barcelona on February 24, 2023.
Jean Vals | Nurphoto | Getty Images
As social media feeds transition from the Parthenon to pumpkin patches, airlines are busy preparing for the 2025 European travel season, anticipating continued strong demand for international travel next summer.
American Airlines United Airlines announced Thursday that it will launch new routes to Europe in the spring and summer of next year. The airline will begin nonstop service from Chicago to Madrid on March 30, Philadelphia to Milan on May 23, Philadelphia to Edinburgh, Scotland (resuming its service since 2019) on May 23, Charlotte, North Carolina to Athens, Greece on June 5, and Miami to Rome on July 5.
rival United Airlines and Delta Airlines We expect to announce our 2025 travel plans in the coming weeks.
American Airlines said next summer’s transatlantic capacity will be up by low to mid single digits from this year, with executives confident consumers will continue to prioritize travel.
“When demand to Italy and Greece rose in 2023, some thought it would be a one-year thing, but this year it has continued to grow, with flights full and profitable,” said Brian Znotins, senior vice president of network planning at American Airlines. “We need more capacity to meet demand.”
American Airlines data shows that travelers, including passengers on other airlines, often make connections in Europe to get to Athens in particular, Znotins said. American Airlines will offer four daily nonstop flights from the U.S. to Athens next year, operating from “more U.S. airports than any other airline,” allowing more travelers to connect through American Airlines hubs like Charlotte, he said.
The airline will also restore European flights from its Philadelphia hub to Naples, Italy; Nice, France; and Copenhagen, Denmark, and will extend its winter seasonal service between Miami and Paris into the summer.
Delays in deliveries of Boeing Co.’s 787 Dreamliners over the past few years have led American Airlines and other airlines to revise some of their schedules and cut some international routes operated by the long-haul aircraft. American is also in the process of retrofitting some of its older Boeing 777s to make their business-class cabins larger.
Znotins said he and his team created next year’s map with both in mind.
“There is obviously a degree of uncertainty in the world of aircraft deliveries and there is a degree of uncertainty in our reconfiguration,” Znotins said. “We are confident that we will be able to fly these routes as we have announced, but in an uncertain world it is always nice to have a backstop, like other hub cities serving Athens, for example, in case we need to reroute passengers.”
