<ul class="summary-list"><li>The big four US airlines are split down the middle in how they're handling social distancing onboard their aircraft.</li><li>Delta and Southwest are blocking middle seats and limiting bookings while American Airlines and United Airlines are only offering free flight changes.</li><li>American and United are both claiming low take-rates for the changes while the reality is that there are too few alternate flights for the policy to be useful, with no guarantee of moving to an empty flight. </li></ul><p>The big four US airlines can be neatly divided into two camps when it comes to their social distancing policies: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-airline-new-coronavirus-travel-rules-comparison-american-united-delta-2020-6">those that block middle seats and those that don't</a>.</p><p>Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines have made commitments until September 30 to block middle seats or limit bookings on flights to ensure that passengers don't have to sit directly next to each other. American Airlines and United Airlines, alternatively, will fill their <keyword id="6367788" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="planes">planes</keyword> to capacity but offer a way out for passengers by allowing for free flight changes on crowded flights. </p><p>United had offered the free changes as a consolation prize after the airline was called out on social media for not following its previously announced policy of blocking middle seats onboard its mainline aircraft, while American had offered free changes while also limiting capacity at 85%. American, however, began filling its flights to capacity starting July 1, though keeping the free changes. </p><p>Having flown on all four airlines in June, I saw how both models are not equal and do not play out as cleanly as the airline claim they do. </p><h2>An empty gesture backed by questionable data</h2><p>In a recent interview with <a href="https://www.planebusiness.com/">PlaneBusiness Banter</a>, American Airlines CRO Vasu Raja said that the take-rate for free flight changes is 6%. American spokesperson Ross Feinstein later confirmed to Business Insider on Monday that the take-rate is now around 4%.</p><p>United Airlines wouldn't share specific numbers but a spokesperson told Business Insider that "very few customers choose to rebook." </p><p>With those low numbers, one can easily speculate that passengers don't care about <keyword id="52392" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Flying">flying</keyword> on crowded flights and blocking middle seats is a luxury, but not a necessity, for most. It's the same reason flyers are willing to book a basic economy ticket and risk getting a middle seat rather than paying more for a guaranteed aisle or window seat, an airline revenue analyst might assume.</p><p><div type="image" title="Social Distancing on American and Delta" height="1875" width="2500" msid="76894656" hostid="261"></div></p><p>That assumption may be true if airlines were offering the same amount of flights they were in 2019. But what the airlines aren't making clear is that there are fewer alternatives to choose from, if any at all, with no guarantee that the back-up flights will stay empty.</p><p>Flying in the US right now means dealing with reduced options and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/delta-will-stop-flying-to-11-us-cities-list-2020-6">entire routes disappearing</a>. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-a-photographers-quest-to-photograph-hundreds-of-parked-planes-2020-5">Aircraft from nearly every major airline have lined boneyards since March</a> and many remain today, leaving fewer options for travelers across the board when it comes to flying. </p><p>American had reduced its May schedule by 80% from the year prior after seeing load factors in April average around 15%. From the period May 1-23, daily passenger averages jumped up to nearly 79,000 with an average load factor of 41% while the last week of the month saw over 110,000 passengers daily on average and the average load factor 55%. </p><p>The number of passengers increased but the number of alternate flight options remained the same, leaving passengers with few back-ups to make the switch. With passenger numbers only rising, according to figures from the <a href="https://www.tsa.gov/coronavirus/passenger-throughput">Transportation Security Administration</a>, there's no guarantee that waiting it out will result in an empty flight. </p><h2>My experience with crowded flights</h2><p>My first encounter with this system was in early June when <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/flying-on-american-and-delta-during-a-pandemic-comparison-2020-6">flying from Atlanta to Hartford, Connecticut via Charlotte on American Airlines</a>. When I checked in, I was told that my flight was full and I would be given the option to change to another flight, only to be told that there were no alternatives available. </p><p>And there weren't — at least to Hartford. My flight was the last to Hartford and taking another flight would've meant leaving the next day or leaving around six hours earlier and connecting in Dallas, in the complete opposite direction, neither of which I was even offered. </p><p>The only option, really, was to take the crowded flight. That was when American was capping flight bookings at 85% and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/flying-on-american-airlines-during-coronavirus-pandemic-2020-6">I was still assigned a middle seat in a crowded row, despite there being entire rows open in sections of the plane</a>. </p><p>My second encounter came on a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/flying-on-southwest-and-united-during-covid-19-pandemic-comparison-2020-6">United Airlines flight from Orlando to New York via Washington</a>. I was given the same notification at check-in and given the option to change my flight within a generous 5-day time frame. </p><p><div type="image" title="Flying on United Airlines COVID-19" height="1875" width="2500" msid="76894662" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Not only could I change the date but could also change my departure and arrival airports to nearby alternatives. But despite the generous scope, the next available flight between my airport pairs was 25 hours later.</p><p>An announcement was also made at the gate informing passengers of their right to a free change to the next flight. Upon further inquiry, however, I was told that the next flight to our destination was 24 hours later and showed signs of filling up, as well.</p><p>Again, I had no option but to take that flight and found myself with a seatmate for the first time since before the pandemic. </p><p>United and American may say that low take-rates for free flight changes are indicative of passengers not caring about how many people are on their flight but with no suitable back-up options, they don't always have a choice.</p><p>American told Business Insider in an email: "As a result of busier flights and more demand for <keyword id="6354691" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Air-travel">air travel</keyword>, we are adding additional flights in July," echoing their June 4 <a href="http://news.aa.com/news/news-details/2020/Bring-on-Summer-American-Airlines-Increases-Domestic-Flying-for-Summer-Travel-Season-Begins-Reopening-Admirals-Clubs-and-Increases-Flexibility-OPS-DIS-06/default.aspx">announcement.</a></p><p>A United spokesperson also told Business Insider in an email: "We're providing options within 5 days of the full flight notification so it depends on a customer's flexibility and what they're searching for. Some options may be more limited than others, like in a market we don't fly daily or some international flights."</p><p>The airline also advised that customers with concerns should reach out to United directly for a resolution. </p><p>Raja also acknowledged that most travelers in the months following the peak of the pandemic aren't doing so for leisure and it's likely rather to an important event where a flight change isn't feasible. This doesn't mean they don't care about how crowded their flights are but that they can't afford to wait multiple hours until the next one.</p><p>American's schedule is now offering passengers more options with the airline operating 55% of its July 2019 domestic schedule. More flights will provide more options for passengers but <a href="https://www.tsa.gov/coronavirus/passenger-throughput">TSA</a> trends show passenger numbers only going up so even if the next flight is an option, there's no saying whether it will be empty. </p>

After flying on the 4 biggest US airlines I saw why offering free flights changes is a hollow gesture to customers when there's few alternatives

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d664db22e22af053c4dd714-1800/c10a0974.jpg" alt="American Airlines Boeing 737 Max" /><p class="source"><span>American Airlines</span></p><p class="caption">American Airlines Boeing 737 Max in the company's Tulsa facility.</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Airlines with the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/boeing-737-max">Boeing 737 Max</a> have recently begun pulling the plane from their schedules further in advance than before.</li><li>During a conference call with investors, an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/american-airlines">American Airlines</a> executive explained that this allows the airline to better manage its capacity, and consequently have seats available for valuable high-yield, last-minute business travelers.</li><li>A <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/united-airlines">United Airlines</a> spokesperson pointed out that the strategy is win-win: Airlines can better manage capacity, last-minute travelers can have access to capacity on the flights they want, and passengers who book farther out are less likely to see flight changes.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>As Boeing continues to offer estimated return dates for its grounded Boeing 737 Max, miss those targets, and repeat the process, airlines are pulling the grounded Boeing 737 Max from their flight schedules earlier and earlier. But pulling the planes earlier isn't just about preparation for the delays themselves - it actually helps with the bottom line.</p><p>American Airlines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines all announced recently that they would pull the Max from their schedules until early June - a full six months in the future, and several months earlier than usual. During a conference call with investors on Thursday, American Airlines' senior vice president overseeing network strategy, Vasu Raja, explained that pulling the plane further out helps the airline better manage capacity, which is crucial for airlines' last-minute ticket revenue.</p><p>"Until this point in time, we were taking the Max out sometimes 60 to 75 days before the flights," Raja said. "So what we were doing was we had already filled up capacity and we'd have fewer seats available for higher yielding, last-minute bookings."</p><p>Raja said pulling the planes from the schedules, consequently canceling some flights a month or two in advance and rearranging flights operated by other plane types, led to a situation where capacity was being filled up earlier, so there were no high-priced seats available for those last-minute travelers. Because of that, Raja said some travelers booked with other carriers less impacted by the Max grounding for those flights.</p><p>The new approach, however, allows airlines to better plan.</p><p>"As we look forward we've taken it out further advance," Raja said. "And so, that enables us to go and revenue manage the airline to a more predictable capacity base."</p><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d279c17a17d6c189b120b53-2400/boeing 737 max planes.jpg" alt="boeing 737 max planes" /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Lindsey Wasson</span></p><p class="caption">Grounded Boeing 737 MAX aircraft are seen parked in an aerial photo at Boeing Field in Seattle, Washington, U.S. July 1, 2019. Picture taken July 1, 2019.</p><p>The Boeing 737 Max grounding has led to significant disruptions for air travel, as airlines accommodate their flight schedules with the shifting timelines for the plane's return. (With the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-737-return-june-july-report-2020-1">recent announcement that Boeing does not expect the plane</a> to return to service before June or July, it is likely that airlines will push the 737 Max's in-service date back again.)</p><p>During 2019, airlines typically pulled the 737 Max from their schedules a couple of months in advance of the planned flight dates, hoping that the Federal Aviation Administration would return it to service soon. Virtually every few weeks saw new announcements canceling Max flights for another 30 to 60 days.</p><p>But as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-737-max-timeline-history-full-details-2019-9">the one-year mark</a> for the grounding nears, airlines like American are pulling it from schedules further out, evidently embracing the fact that Boeing hasn't been able to keep to its timeline.</p><p>It doesn't just create a revenue benefit for airlines; it also leads to a better, more predictable situation for passengers, especially the price-sensitive passengers who book less expensive tickets farther in advance.</p><p>Although last-minute tickets are occasionally purchased for personal travel such as an unexpected death in the family, the vast majority are purchased by business travelers. Those customers are typically not price-sensitive - they need to get to a destination for a timely meeting or event, and their employers will pay for the most efficient flight, regardless of price premiums for the last-minute nature.</p><p>Those fares, combined with premium cabin seats - typically first class on domestic flights, and business class on international flights - offer higher margins to airlines and drive crucial revenue. </p><p>The further-out planning also means that the airlines won't have to move flights around or switch which planes are operating which flights closer to the departure date. That creates a situation of "more certainty and less change" to passengers' itineraries after they've booked, according to a United spokesperson - United also flies the 737 Max, and has also begun pulling the plane from its schedule with a longer lead time.</p><p>Although the Max grounding has created operational and financial challenges for airlines with the plane, the current long-view approach essentially creates an "everyone wins" case of dealing with a problematic situation.</p><p>Airlines can still capture last-minute booking revenue - crucial to their bottom lines, especially as the Max grounding continues to hurt - while business passengers can more reliably access last-minute capacity on their preferred routings or airlines, and passengers who book farther out will either not see any impact, or will find out about flight changes far enough in advance that they can make alternate arrangements.</p><p class="tagline">Get the latest Boeing stock price <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/BA-Quote">here.</a></p>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/qantas-airways-flying-worlds-longest-flight-2019-12">What it's like to ride the world's longest flight</a></h3>                    <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/m9AXZzdg-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;"></iframe>            

Airlines are pulling the 737 Max from their schedules further in advance, and American Airlines just revealed why

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/american-airlines">American Airlines</a> announced major changes to its international strategy on Wednesday.</li><li>Among other changes, the airline will cancel 19 routes, scale down its international operation from its Los Angeles hub, and double down on alliances with other <keyword id="44023" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="airlines">airlines</keyword> based in Seattle and London.</li><li>The airline will also slow down the return of some routes, waiting until summer 2021 as demand remains low due to the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/coronavirus">coronavirus pandemic</a>.</li></ul><p><keyword id="88011" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="american-airlines">American Airlines</keyword> announced big updates to its long-haul international network on Wednesday, reflecting the rapidly changing business environment during the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> pandemic — and previewing the effects it will have for years to come.</p><p>"<keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> has forced us to reevaluate our network," Vasu Raja, American's head of route and network planning, said in a press release. "American will have a significantly smaller international network in the year ahead, but we are using this opportunity to hit reset and create a network using the strength of our strategic hubs that we can build and grow upon and be profitable on in this new environment."</p><p>The changes, which last through 2021, come as international travel demand remains low and travel restrictions remain in place around much of the world.</p><p>Even as countries and travelers adjust to life during the pandemic, American does not expect international travel to fully return for at least a few years. The airline said its long-haul capacity in summer 2021 — normally a peak travel period — will be 25% lower than in 2019. This July, it's down 80% from last year.</p><p>Here are the biggest changes American is making.</p><h2>19 international routes are gone for good</h2><p>As part of the reconfiguration, American announced that it would cut 19 international routes — permanently.</p><p>The full list of cut routes is below:</p><table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 420px;" border="1"><tbody><tr style="height: 21px;"><th style="width: 50%; height: 21px;">Origin</th><th style="width: 49.8615%; height: 21px;">Destination</th></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 50%; height: 21px;">Charlotte-Douglas</td><td style="width: 49.8615%; height: 21px;">Barcelona</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 50%; height: 21px;">Charlotte-Douglas</td><td style="width: 49.8615%; height: 21px;">Rome</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 50%; height: 21px;">Charlotte-Douglas</td><td style="width: 49.8615%; height: 21px;">Paris</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 50%; height: 21px;">Dallas-Fort Worth</td><td style="width: 49.8615%; height: 21px;">Munich</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 50%; height: 21px;">Los Angeles</td><td style="width: 49.8615%; height: 21px;">Hong Kong</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 50%; height: 21px;">Los Angeles</td><td style="width: 49.8615%; height: 21px;">Buenos Aires</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 50%; height: 21px;">Los Angeles</td><td style="width: 49.8615%; height: 21px;">Sao Paolo</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 50%; height: 21px;">Los Angeles</td><td style="width: 49.8615%; height: 21px;">Beijing</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 50%; height: 21px;">Los Angeles</td><td style="width: 49.8615%; height: 21px;">Shanghai</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 50%; height: 21px;">Miami</td><td style="width: 49.8615%; height: 21px;">Brasilia</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 50%; height: 21px;">Miami</td><td style="width: 49.8615%; height: 21px;">Milan</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 50%; height: 21px;">Chicago</td><td style="width: 49.8615%; height: 21px;">Budapest</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 50%; height: 21px;">Chicago</td><td style="width: 49.8615%; height: 21px;">Krakow</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 50%; height: 21px;">Chicago</td><td style="width: 49.8615%; height: 21px;">Prague</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 50%; height: 21px;">Chicago</td><td style="width: 49.8615%; height: 21px;">Venice</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 50%; height: 21px;">Philadelphia</td><td style="width: 49.8615%; height: 21px;">Berlin</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 50%; height: 21px;">Philadelphia</td><td style="width: 49.8615%; height: 21px;">Budapest</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 50%; height: 21px;">Philadelphia</td><td style="width: 49.8615%; height: 21px;">Casablanca</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 50%; height: 21px;">Philadelphia</td><td style="width: 49.8615%; height: 21px;">Dubrovnik</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Some of the routes — including flights from Chicago to Budapest, Hungary, Krakow, Poland, and Prague, Czech Republic — had been announced put on sale, but were not scheduled to begin until later this year.</p><p>Another — Philadelphia to Casablanca, Morocco — would have been American's long-awaited first direct service to the African continent. The airline planned to gain a foothold in the Africa market by partnering with Morocco's Royal Air Maroc airline to codeshare on onward flights from Casablanca.</p><p>The route between Los Angeles and Shanghai, China — one of five Los Angeles routes to be cut — will only be cancelled if regulators approve the airline's plans to fly to Shanghai from Seattle instead.</p><p>"American has spent the past few years right-sizing its international network, discontinuing underperforming routes while adding leisure destinations like Dubrovnik and Prague," Brian Znotins, American's vice president of network planning, said in the release. "Now, as demand has significantly diminished due to COVID-19, we have to be nimble, creating the network that our customers desire."</p><h2>Pulling back from Los Angeles</h2><p>Although Los Angeles International Airport has served as American's trans-Pacific gateway for years, the airline is set to all but abandon it for that purpose.</p><p>All but four international destinations will be scrapped from Los Angeles. Sydney, Australia, and Tokyo's Haneda airport in Japan will remain as will a seasonal flight to Auckland, New Zealand. American will also fly from Los Angeles to London Heathrow.</p><p>The airline planes to continue using Los Angeles as a domestic hub, instead, Znotins told <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/news/american-airlines-long-haul-plans-lax-seattle-dfw/?utm_source=milesfeed.com&amp;utm_medium=link&amp;utm_campaign=MilesFeed.comFeed.com">The Points Guy</a> in an interview.</p><h2>A focus on partner hubs in Seattle and London</h2><p>In 2019, American was gearing up for big things. The airline had announced five major new international routes out of its smaller domestic hubs, taking advantage of demand for routes with no international connections, and expanding its reach throughout the US and globally.</p><p>But that was when times were good.</p><p>As demand stays low and the airline is left cutting costs while trying to reorient around demand, capacity, and expenses, American is preparing to retract and consolidate, taking advantage of partnerships.</p><p>Earlier this year, American announced a new partnership and alliance agreement with <keyword id="584506" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Alaska-Airlines">Alaska Airlines</keyword>, as well as plans to grow its international routes out of Seattle. The idea was that American and Alaska could codeshare on some flights, so that Alaska's strong domestic presence in Seattle could feed into American's international flights.</p><p>At the time, American also announced two new international destinations from Seattle: Bangalore, India, and London Heathrow. On Wednesday, it announced a third, pending government approval: Shanghai.</p><p>Additionally, the airline said it plans to focus on restoring its service to London from each of its hubs before focusing on other destinations in Europe, Africa, and parts of Asia and the Middle East. From there, passengers can connect onwards on partner British Airways. American expects to be flying its full schedule to London Heathrow by summer 2021.</p><p>"For American, every new partnership means future growth opportunities for our airline," Raja said in the press release. "We're going to rely on our hubs' greatest strengths with our existing international network, and further integrate into our partners' hubs to provide connectivity that's been untapped in the past."</p><h2>A postponed return for international destinations</h2><p>International flights form other American hubs will return between winter 2020 and summer 2021, the airline said. The full list of scheduled returns is below:</p><table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 903px;" border="1"><tbody><tr style="height: 21px;"><th style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Origin</th><th style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Destination</th><th style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Schedule change</th></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Charlotte-Douglas</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Frankfurt</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes summer 2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Charlotte-Douglas</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">London </td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes winter 2020</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Charlotte-Douglas</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Munich </td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes winter 2020</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Chicago</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Barcelona </td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes summer 2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Chicago</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Dublin </td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes summer 2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Chicago</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Paris</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes summer 2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Dallas-Fort Worth</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Beijing</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes summer 2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 20px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 20px;">Dallas-Fort Worth</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 20px;">Buenos Aires</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 20px;">Service resumes winter 2020</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Dallas-Fort Worth</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Lima</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes winter 2020</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Dallas-Fort Worth</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Sao Paulo</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes winter 2020</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Dallas-Fort Worth</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Rome</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes summer 2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Dallas-Fort Worth</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Santiago</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes summer 2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Dallas-Fort Worth</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Tel Aviv</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service launches winter 2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 43px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 43px;">Los Angeles</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 43px;">Auckland</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 43px;">Service launches winter 2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Los Angeles</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">London Heathrow</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes winter 2020</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Los Angeles</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Sydney</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes summer 2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">New York-JFK</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Paris</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes winter 2020</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">New York-JFK</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Barcelona</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes summer 2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">New York-JFK</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Buenos Aires</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes winter 2020</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">New York-JFK</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Rio de Janeiro</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes winter 2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">New York-JFK</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Sao Paulo</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes winter 2020</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">New York-JFK</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Madrid</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes summer 2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">New York-JFK</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Milan</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes summer 2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Miami</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Paris</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes summer 2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Miami</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Rio de Janeiro</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes winter 2020</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Miami</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Sao Paulo</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes Aug. 6, 2020</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Miami</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Madrid</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes summer 2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Miami</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Santiago</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes Aug. 5, 2020</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Philadelphia </td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Amsterdam</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes winter 2020</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Philadelphia</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Dublin</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes winter 2020</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Philadelphia</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">London Heathrow</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes winter 2020</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Philadelphia</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Manchester</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes summer 2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Philadelphia</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Madrid</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes winter 2020</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Philadelphia</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Paris</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes summer 2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Philadelphia</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Rome</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes summer 2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Philadelphia</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Zurich</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes summer 2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Phoenix</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">London Heathrow</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes winter 2020</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Raleigh</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">London Heathrow</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service resumes winter 2020</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Seattle</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Bangalore</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service launches winter 2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Seattle</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">London Heathrow</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">Service launches summer 2021</td></tr><tr style="height: 21px;"><td style="width: 27.7008%; height: 21px;">Seattle</td><td style="width: 22.9917%; height: 21px;">Shanghai</td><td style="width: 49.169%; height: 21px;">New service subject to government approval</td></tr></tbody></table>

American Airlines will shrink and rebuild its international network through 2021 as the airline reels from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5af47d16e988ef49008b46dc-838/shutterstock684794203.jpg" border="0" alt="American Airlines 787 Dreamliner" data-mce-source="Fasttailwind/Shutterstock" /><p class="source"><span>Fasttailwind/Shutterstock</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>American Airlines plans to announce five major new routes on Thursday, including its first flight to the African continent.</strong></li><li><strong>The routes - from three of its hubs, to a total of four different destinations - are the latest move as the airline seeks to refocus and reorient its hub and connection network following its acquisition of US Airways in 20TK.</strong></li><li><strong>Four of the routes will run seasonally, beginning in Spring 2020. The fifth - between Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, and Tel Aviv, Israel - will operate year-round starting September, 2020.</strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</strong></li></ul><p>American Airlines plans to announce five major new routes on Thursday, including its first flight to the African continent.</p><p>The routes - from three of its hubs, to a total of four different destinations - are the latest move as the airline seeks to refocus and reorient its hub and connection network following its acquisition of US Airways in 2013.</p><p>Four of the routes will run seasonally, beginning in Spring 2020. The fifth - between Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, and Tel Aviv, Israel - will operate year-round starting September, 2020.</p><p>The four seasonal routes are:</p><ul><li>Philadelphia to Casablanca, Morocco (CMN) June 4 to September 8, 2020</li><li>Chicago O'Hare to Krakow, Poland (KRK) May 7 to October 23, 2020</li><li>Chicago O'Hare to Prague, Czech Republic, May 8 to October 24, 2020</li><li>Chicago O'Hare to Budapest, Hungary, May 7 to October 24, 2020</li></ul><p>The service to Casablanca will be American Airlines' first-ever flight to a destination in Africa. While the route can serve increasing numbers of Americans looking to vacation in Morocco, American plans to use the destination as a foothold on the continent - and potentially in the Middle East - feeding traffic to future alliance partner Royal Air Maroc. The Moroccan airline is set to join the Oneworld alliance, of which American is a founding member, in 2020.</p><p>"Casablanca is so well located in Africa to be able to connect demand," American's Vice President of network and schedule planning, Vasu Raja, told Business Insider. "Even though they're still in the process of maturing the connecting hub, that enables us to start developing connections to cities like Marrakesh and Lagos, but then over time, cities deeper in Southern and East Africa."</p><p>The flight between Philadelphia and Casablanca will be served by a Boeing 757 narrow-body aircraft. The other four flights will be served by 787-8 and 787-9 Dreamliner jets.</p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-worst-airports-us-the-points-guy-2019-8">The best and worst major airports in the US</a></em></p><p><em><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d4b58a4100a242eeb003f77-2000/ap16158606841285.jpg" border="0" alt="American Airlines" data-mce-source="AP" /><p class="source"><span>AP</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></em></p><h2>The bigger picture for American Airlines</h2><p>The routes overall are emblematic of the multifaceted approach American has taken to cut losses, increase efficiency and, by extension, profitability while leveraging the strong domestic network it held following its 2013 merger with US Airways, according to Raja.</p><p>American has moved much of its connecting capacity out of New York and directed it to other hubs - particularly the legacy US Airways hub in Philadelphia - instead. The airline retained its presence in New York, using it to serve direct traffic on established routes, like London and Paris, instead. </p><p>"For years, AMR [American's parent company prior to its merger with US Airways] had a presence in New York, but it didn't have enough slots to built a really viable connecting international market out of JFK," Raja said. "US Airways had a hub out of Philadelphia, but the airline wasn't a part of any of the big joint ventures which really would have enabled it to grow."</p><p>"We refashioned trans-Atlantic where we serve the non-stop market out of New York," he said. "In Philadelphia, we go and try and create a lot of connections, and use it to try and start new markets."</p><p>A benefit to moving connecting traffic to Philadelphia is that it costs significantly less to operate flights from that airport, adding to American's bottom line, and making it possible to experiment with new markets and routes. The airline launched its first service to Prague and Budapest from the Philadelphia hub in 2018, which has been largely successful, leading it to launch additional flights from Chicago for 2020.</p><p>"In Philadelphia, we have a hub that can make more connecting itineraries than any of our competitors' hubs on the East Coast, but it can do it at about 80% of the cost," Raja said. "So it's a really attractive way for us to try things."  </p><p>Alongside that, it cut unprofitable routes including most of its trans-Pacific service from Chicago.</p><p>At the same time, it has expanded trans-Atlantic flights from the city, Raja said. Alongside Philadelphia, the two hubs can serve a significant portion of American's trans-Atlantic market via a single connection from a customer's home airport.</p><p>"We can offer more cities to more of the connecting customers that really use American Airlines' domestic system," Raja said. "A lot of the small cities in the US have access to a bunch of new international destinations."</p><p>"It's the culmination of many years of remaking American into a profitable international carrier."</p><p>The flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Tel Aviv similarly reflects American's shift away from connecting traffic in the New York market.</p><p>"All the service to Tel Aviv is clustered in the big coastal cities on the East and West Coasts," said Raja. "We have domestic demand from cities like Oklahoma City and Austin, and from international cities like Mexico City and Buenos Aires, where there's a lot of demand to Tel Aviv but there are really bad connections."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/after-bumped-off-flight-heres-what-need-know-legally-department-transportation-fly-airplane-airline-2017-4">Here's what airlines legally owe you if you're bumped off a flight</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/eMLdeLPZ-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

American Airlines just announced 5 new routes that reflect its strategy to leverage its massive connecting network

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d10a942e3ecba6886117ec3-1800/gettyimages-1135602044.jpg" border="0" alt="American Airlines Boeing 737 Max" data-mce-source="Joe Raedle/Getty Images" data-mce-caption="An American Airlines Boeing 737 Max jet at Miami International Airport in March 2019." /><p class="source"><span>Joe Raedle/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">An American Airlines Boeing 737 Max jet at Miami International Airport in March 2019.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/american-airlines">American Airlines</a> announced changes to its management team, following the retirement of its senior vice president who oversees customer experience.</li><li>The new realignment is organized around four "business pillars" - Operations, Network, Revenue, and Customer.</li><li>The changes come as the airline has faced increasing pressure from shareholders and passengers to make changes, following a summer of poor operational performance.</li><li><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</strong></li></ul><p>Following months of delays, cancellations, and outrage from its most loyal passengers, American Airlines announced a reshuffling of its executive leadership team surrounding everything that contributes to the overall experience of its passengers.</p><p>The airline's current senior vice president of customer experience, Kerry Philipovitch, will retire at the end of the year, according to a spokesperson for the airline. Following her departure, the airline will realign its operational and commercial teams at the corporate level, organizing four business pillars - Operations, Network, Revenue, and Customer - each led by a senior vice president reporting to the airline's president, Robert Isom.</p><p>The new leaders will be:</p><ul><li>Operations: David Seymour, Senior Vice President of Operations</li><li>Network: Vasu Raja, Senior Vice President of Network Strategy</li><li>Revenue: Don Casey, Senior Vice President of Revenue</li><li>Customer: Kurt Stache, Senior Vice President of Customer Experience</li></ul><h2>A summer of struggles</h2><p>American saw a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-airlines-flight-cancellations-vs-other-airlines-2019-7">summer of disappointing performance</a>, which left both passengers and shareholders spanning from nervous to enraged.</p><p>While every US airline faced a difficult summer because of severe weather throughout much of the country, the airline's pains have been particularly acute due to a combination of maintenance issues and the ongoing grounding of the worldwide Boeing 737 Max fleet.</p><p>That's caused the airline's stock to sag, and led to customer dissatisfaction.</p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong></em><em>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/firefighter-saves-passenger-during-mid-flight-cardiac-arrest-savannah-2019-10">An off-duty firefighter on a flight to Los Angeles saved a fellow passenger who suffered a cardiac arrest mid-flight and had no pulse for at least 30 minutes</a></em></p><p>Already, American, which owns 24 of the troubled Max aircraft, with 76 more on order - seven of which were initially due to be delivered in the second quarter - has had to cancel around 115 daily flights, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-airlines-oakland-dallas-route-canceled-737-max-grounded-2019-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one entire route</a> - in order to cover key routes with older planes.</p><p>Compounding the pain from the Max-related groundings, American had more planes out of service than normal due to mechanical issues. While mainline carriers like American can usually swap spare planes to cover mechanical issues, and to recover from weather delays, but the current high rate of technical issues has made it difficult.</p><p>American has blamed - and filed a lawsuit against - its mechanic unions, alleging that employees are deliberately slowing down work or exaggerating issues that do not affect safety in an effort to influence new contract negotiations. </p><p>In September, a Miami-based mechanic was arrested for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-airlines-sabotage-mechanic-plea-not-guilty-2019-9">allegedly sabotaging a plane</a> to try and get overtime hours.</p><p>The troubling summer performance has led to speculation that CEO Doug Parker would be replaced. </p><p>However, there have been indications that the airline is turning things around.</p><p>The airline reported an 82.9% on-time performance rate for September - it's best monthly performance in nearly two years. While this can be attributed to a variety of factors, including better weather, the airline also resumed negotiations with its mechanics unions, and won a court order against the alleged slowdown.</p><h2>American Airlines' reshuffled management team</h2><p>While each of these SVPs already works in an executive position at the airline, their jobs are being redefined based on the new organizational layout.</p><p>"This is an opportunity to sharpen our focus on the key parts of our airline: running a reliable operation, expanding the world's best network, maximizing all aspects of revenue to ensure American thrives forever, and delivering a superior customer journey as we create a world-class customer experience," Isom, American's president, said in a <a href="http://news.aa.com/news/news-details/2019/Kerry-Philipovitch-Announces-Retirement-American-Airlines-Realigns-Operations-and-Commercial-Leadership-Teams-CORP-EXEC/default.aspx">press release</a>. "This restructure puts innovative and extremely capable leaders at the forefront of these initiatives."</p><p>Seymour, who has overseen integrated operations at the airline since 2012 (at the time he was at US Airways, which merged with American in 2013), will expand his responsibilities to oversee everything from airline and cargo functions, to regional carrier operations.</p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong></em><em>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-airlines-sabotage-mechanic-plea-not-guilty-2019-9">The American Airlines mechanic accused of sabotaging a plane pleaded not guilty, days after a judge excoriated him in court amid alleged terrorism ties</a></em></p><p>Raja, who previously planned routes for the airline as a Vice President, will be promoted and will additionally supervise airline alliances and partnerships,</p><p>Casey, already in his position, will expand his oversight to include American's sales and distribution teams.</p><p>Stache, meanwhile, will oversee the entire aspect of customer experience, assuming Philipovitch's role. Stache has worked for the airline for more than 15 years, according to his LinkedIn profile, and previously oversaw American's loyalty program as a senior vice president of marketing.</p><p>Additional executives will report to the four senior vice presidents.</p><h2>Why this matters, and will it help?</h2><p>While some continue to call for changes in the C-suite, the changes announced on Thursday reflect a major shake-up in the reporting and oversight structure of the people who manage the day-to-day at the airline, which more directly effects operations and experience.</p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong></em><em>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pilot-explain-airline-jargon-code-words-2017-4">An airline pilot reveals the meanings of 23 code words passengers don't understand</a></em></p><p>A spokesperson for the airline told Business Insider that the realignment will allow for better oversight across the airline's business, particularly areas that tend to be consumer-facing. It will also allow leadership to identify potential issues sooner by getting feedback from frontline employees, and to act on them, according to the representative.</p><p>"American's team members are what set us apart," Isom said. "They're the difference between just a flight and an experience. Our job is to give them the tools to care for customers on their journeys with us, and we know with this superb group of six leaders at the helm, we will deliver."</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/in-flight-wifi-is-slow-and-expensive-2019-9">Here's why in-flight WiFi is so slow and expensive</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/AEUNDfQK-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

After a summerlong meltdown, American Airlines is shaking up its leadership to fix the damage done by months of operational mishaps

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c8fdbb601df7213274f3692-2400/gettyimages-1135839288.jpg" border="0" alt="American Airlines Boeing 737 Max grounded" data-mce-source="Joe Raedle/Getty Images" /><p class="source"><span>Joe Raedle/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Grounded American Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 airliners.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/boeing-737-max" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boeing 737 Max</a> has been grounded since March 13.</strong></li><li><strong>As a result, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/american-airlines" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Airlines</a> had to withdraw its 24 737 Max jetliners from service with little to no notice. </strong></li><li><strong>American has pulled the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/boeing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boeing</a> jet from its flight schedules until August 19 resulting in the cancelation of 115 flights per day.</strong></li><li><strong>Unlike other airlines, American's 737 Max fleet is based at a single hub in Miami. This strategy has been a fortuitous development for the airline and limited the harm done by the fallout from the grounding. </strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.</a></strong></li></ul><p>The grounding of the Boeing 737 Max in March sent carriers scrambling to figure how to operate their scheduled flights with an entire fleet of aircraft suddenly unavailable.</p><p>The disruption caused by the grounding can be felt across the US aviation system. </p><p>For American Airlines, that means canceling 115 flights every day until August 19. While it may pale in comparison to the 6,500 flights a day the Fort Worth, Texas-based airline operates, it's still 115 planeloads of passengers that must be accommodated every day.</p><p>Suddenly losing two dozen aircraft from your fleet and having to scour your network to move planes around to fill in gaps is never a good thing, Vasu Raja, American Airlines's vice president of planning told Business Insider.  </p><p>However, the unique way American structured its 737 Max fleet has mitigated the amount of harm done by the grounding to the airline's flight operations. </p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-future-remains-unclear-due-to-737-max-scandal-2019-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boeing's problems are mounting and things are going to get worse before they get better</a></em>.</p><p>That's because the airline's 737 Max fleet is based at a single hub, Miami.</p><p>"It was good because at the end of the day it really simplified the scheduling problem we had," Raja said. "We knew we needed to cover certain things in Miami and it put real bounds around what we were solving for."</p><p>"If the airplane was flying all across the US, that could have created more challenges for us given how fast we had to go and makes changes to (the schedule)," Raja added. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5cbbc1264a16755fe836d8f3-2400/2019-03-13t185517z586184638rc15e4c6f830rtrmadp3ethiopia-airplane-trump.jpg" border="0" alt="American Airlines Boeing 737 Max landing Laguardia from Miami" style="color: #000000;" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton" /><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton</span></p><p class="caption">An American Airlines Boeing 737 Max landing at LaGuardia Airport from Miami.</p></div><p></p></div></div>According to Raja, who is in charge of developing American's global network strategy, the decision to base the 737 Max has as much to do with the way Miami Airport is designed as it does with the plane itself. </p><p>"In our system, especially in Florida, there are a ton of markets that really play to having a high volume airplane that also has the ability to fly far," he said.</p><p>The 737 Max's ability to carry 172 passengers allows the airline to balance frequency and passenger capacity on flights from Miami to destinations such as New York and San Francisco where there are limits on the number of flights allowed, Raja told us.</p><p>At the same time, the American Airlines exec noted that the 737 Max also delivered the range and performance required for many of the flights from Miami to Latin America. </p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jetblue-azul-founder-david-neeleman-transform-air-travel-2019-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">JetBlue founder David Neeleman wants to transform air travel in the US</a></em>.</p><p>And then there are Miami Airport's unique challenges.</p><p>"Our Miami facility is a one-mile-long facility where we connect passengers and crew," Raja said. "One of the things we discovered over the years is that the fewer the fleet types that feed it, the more reliable the operation in Miami is."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5cbbc3e8c3a7c154745f5cc4-2400/shutterstock112369580.jpg" border="0" alt="American Airlines Miami terminal" data-mce-source="Daniel Korzeniewski / Shutterstock.com" /><p class="source"><span>Daniel Korzeniewski / Shutterstock.com</span></p><p class="caption">The American Airlines Terminal at Miami Airport.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Since different aircraft types require their own operating certifications, not all crew are able to operate all types of aircraft. As a result, the more types of aircraft you have operating into the airport, the more types of crew you must have on hand.</p><p>Raja said that before American cut down on the types of planes flying to Miami, there would be times a specific crew needed for a flight at Gate D2 would be coming off another flight that landed at Gate D60 on the other side of the terminal. As a result, the flight at D2 would take a delay simply because the crew couldn't get across the airport in time. </p><p>By limiting Miami to mostly Boeing 737s and Airbus A319s, crew and aircraft scheduling has become more simplified. </p><p>"Since we've simplified Miami, we've seen a huge improvement in its operating performance," Raja said. "At the start of (the American Airlines-US Airways) merger, it was one of our worst performing hubs and now it's consistently one of our best-performing hubs."</p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-737-max-fills-storage-lots-2019-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Boeing can't deliver the 737 Max to customers, and now the planes are clogging up its storage lots</a>.</em></p><p>As for the Boeing 737 Max's return to service, Raja is positive that it will happen, but not certain on when. </p><p>"We feel great confidence that this airplane will be recertified and it will be recertified in the course of the summer and it will fly again soon," he said. "But for us, we're not certain what that date is."</p><p>Raja explained that the reason the 737 Max has been pulled from the airline's schedule until August is to provide customers with assurances that they can make their reservations without worry that their flights will be canceled due to the grounding. </p><p>"As customers go and make their summer travel plans we need to be able to give them a schedule they have absolute confidence will be delivered so we had to take out the Max," Raja said. "We have to do it far enough in advance that no one fears they will have to be accommodated on a flight that doesn't suit them. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c8a6b8adaa50730c361659c-2000/max8ffk66500-01.jpg" border="0" alt="Boeing 737 Max 8" style="color: #000000;" data-mce-source="Boeing" /><p class="source"><span>Boeing</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>On March 13, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an emergency order to ground the Boeing 737 Max fleet in the US.  As a result, American, Southwest, and United Airlines had to immediately pull the 72 737 Max jetliners from their respective operational fleets.</p><p>Southwest is the world's largest operator of the Boeing jet with 34 examples in its fleet. American is tied with China Southern and Air Canada for the second most 737 Maxes at 24 aircraft. United operates a fleet of 14 737 Max airliners.</p><p>The grounding follows the fatal crashes of Lion Air Flight JT610 in October and Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302 in March. The FAA is awaiting Boeing's proposed fix for the Boeing 737 Max's troubled flight control system. </p><p class="tagline">Get the latest Boeing stock price <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/BA-Quote">here.</a></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/goodyear-blimp-nascar-daytona-flying-aviation-2019-4">I rode the world-famous Goodyear Blimp as it flew above the Daytona International Speedway - here's what it's like to fly</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/rchIQn0T-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

You Searched For "vasu" and got 6 results

After flying on the 4 biggest US airlines I saw why offering free flights changes is a hollow gesture to customers when there's few alternatives

Thomas Pallini

Airlines are pulling the 737 Max from their schedules further in advance, and American Airlines just revealed why

David Slotnick

American Airlines will shrink and rebuild its international network through 2021 as the airline reels from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic

David Slotnick

American Airlines just announced 5 new routes that reflect its strategy to leverage its massive connecting network

David Slotnick

After a summerlong meltdown, American Airlines is shaking up its leadership to fix the damage done by months of operational mishaps

David Slotnick

An American Airlines executive reveals why its exposure to the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max has been limited

Benjamin Zhang