American Airlines has cancelled all flights to three popular destinations this year, including its longest non-stop service. The Fort Worth-based carrier has dropped one domestic destination and two international destinations from its schedule.
Flights to Santa Maria (SMX) in California were cancelled earlier this year, while in August the airline also ended services to Tijuana International Airport in Mexico. The most significant cut, however, was the nonstop Boeing 787-9 service from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) to Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH) in Qatar.
Longest route axed in March
The Philadelphia-to-Doha route was cancelled in March due to tensions in the Middle East and weak financial performance. The 6,798-mile flight took 14 hours and 30 minutes and was the longest ever flight to depart from the Philadelphia airport.
Following the cancellation, Qatar Airways resumed nonstop services to Doha from Philadelphia on August 1 and is now the sole operator on the route.
Financial reasons for other cuts
American Airlines is not the only carrier to cancel international flights this year due to the conflict between Israel and Iran. The airline stated that the reason for the cancellation of the other routes was due to finances.
The flights to Tijuana International Airport were introduced in 2024, but the company claimed they did not see enough passenger uptake. It was the carrier’s shortest flight, covering just 290 miles between the two cities.
Impact and future expansion
Despite the cancellation of the Tijuana route, American Airlines continues to fly to nine Mexican cities from Phoenix, including Cancun, Los Cabos, and Mexico City. The terminated flight to Santa Maria means Allegiant Air is now the only airline operating regular flights to and from Las Vegas.
Despite the three cancellations, American Airlines is set to expand its international network in 2027 with an additional seven routes, including destinations such as Porto, Portugal, Vienna, Austria, and Reykjavik, Iceland.
