Nice tapping into the American craze for the Baie des Anges and, in general, the entire Côte d'Azur. The giant American Airlines will begin flights from Philadelphia. In fact, the new link is part of thea return to East Coast airport as a hub for destinations in Europe.
In an interview with American Airlines' in-house channel, Brian Znotins, Senior Vice President, Network Planningsaid that planning for new routes this year had been hampered by delays in the delivery of aircraft by the manufacturer. Boeing.
Philadelphia will therefore be the major beneficiary of the arrival of its new aircraft in 2024. The Pennsylvania metropolis will be linked to Copenhagen, Naples and Nice for the first time in the summer season. Nice to be the first to benefit from a daily Boeing 787-9 flight from 6 May. Copenhagen-Philadelphia and Naples-Philadelphia will follow in June. The carrier has also announced that its seasonal flights to Barcelona and Lisbon will operate all year round.
Why Philadelphia rather than New York JFKAn airport that is also an American Airlines gateway to Europe? According to Brian Znotins, Philadelphia is in fact a real hub. Unlike JFK, which is more of a point-to-point market. " When we leave Philadelphia, the whole of the United States is at stake" he explained in the interview. There is also the added difficulty of obtaining good slots at JFK. The New York airport is saturated for slots serving the North Atlantic.
Consolidation of the Philadelphia hub to Europe
The strategy is therefore to amplify Philadelphia's role as a European hub. American currently offers 11 routes to the old continent. Or Paris-CDG, Amsterdam, AthensBarcelona, Dublin, Lisbon, London-Heathrow, MadridRome, Venice and Zurich.
According toOAGAmerican Airlines is offering 42,100 weekly round-trip seats. A much lower figure, however, than in the summer. 2019when the carrier offered 61,200 seats to 19 destinations in Europe. Destinations suspended as a result of the Covid crisis include Berlin, Budapest, Edinburgh, Manchester and Prague.
American Airlines remains the first carrier in Philadelphia. The company recorded 16.1 million passengers out of a total of 25.2 million in 2022. The carrier serves some fifty domestic destinations and a dozen international routes.
In addition to Philadelphia, American has announced the re-establishment of the Chicago-Venice route in Europe in 2024 and the launch of a new daily service between Dallas-Fort Worth and Barcelona. From Dallas, seasonal flights to Dublin and Madrid will now be available all year round.
