American Airlines Cuts Some Flights from LAX and Phoenix to London Heathrow

FORT WORTH- In a strategic shift that reflects the cyclical nature of international air travel, American Airlines (AA) is set to reduce its transatlantic service for the upcoming winter season.

The changes, first reported by recognized aviation insider JonNYC, will see a significant adjustment to the airline’s London Heathrow (LHR) routes from key U.S. gateways.

American Airlines London Flights Reductions

Starting October 27, 2024, coinciding with the commencement of the IATA winter season, the Fort Worth-based carrier will discontinue its third daily roundtrip flight between Los Angeles (LAX) and London Heathrow.

This reduction brings the total number of daily flights on this competitive route from 10 to 9, with American and its joint venture partner British Airways (BA) now offering 5 daily flights, down from 6.

The Los Angeles-London corridor remains a battleground for major carriers, with Virgin Atlantic (VS) and United Airlines (UA) each maintaining their twice-daily services. However, United typically scales back to once daily during the winter months, further thinning the market to 8 daily flights until spring.

In a parallel move, American will suspend its Phoenix (PHX) to London Heathrow service for the entire winter season, spanning from October 27, 2024, to March 28, 2025. This leaves British Airways as the sole operator on this route, utilizing its advanced Airbus A350-100 aircraft, reported Gary Leff of ViewfromtheWing.

These schedule adjustments come in the wake of American’s aggressive expansion of its summer Europe capacity, which outpaced industry averages.

However, recent earnings reports from competitors like Delta Air Lines (DL), which reduced its profit expectations, suggest a potential oversaturation of transatlantic seats relative to demand.

Challenging Season for Transatlantic Flights

JonNYC reports that one of the freed-up Heathrow slots will be repurposed to optimize the timing of a Chicago frequency, indicating American’s intent to maximize the efficiency of its valuable Heathrow operations.

The winter season has long been a challenging period for transatlantic travel, with demand dropping significantly after the summer peak. This seasonal fluctuation particularly impacts low-cost carriers operating in the market, as they lack the flexibility of counterseason hubs to redeploy aircraft.

As American adjusts its winter schedule, questions arise about the potential reallocation of its Boeing 777 fleet. Speculation includes the possibility of retrofitting Boeing 777-300ERs to eliminate first class and install new business class suites, or increasing domestic widebody and Cancun operations.

These moves by American Airlines underscore the delicate balance carriers must strike between capacity and demand, especially in the volatile international market.

As the industry continues to navigate post-pandemic recovery and shifting travel patterns, such strategic adjustments are likely to become increasingly common among major airlines seeking to optimize their global networks.

In a separate development, we earlier reported that despite 424 pilots’ mandatory retirement in 2024 as they reached 65 age and 843 next year, American Airlines has not only stopped hiring for this year but told shortlisted pilots that they will not provide any new training in 2024.

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