Next year, American Airlines is set to increase its capacity to key Mexican destinations. By April 2022, American Airlines will have a 28% growth in overall presence in Mexico, compared to 2019 levels, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, what can we expect from the US carrier in the following months?
Additional capacity
Currently, American Airlines is operating 4,495 flights between the United States and Mexico. It is also deploying 762,816 seats in these routes, according to data provided by Cirium. Those numbers represent a 47.4% and 50.4% increase compared to December 2019 levels.
American Airlines has been investing in the connectivity to Mexico, particularly from its hubs in Dallas Fort Worth, and Miami. Throughout 2021, the carrier has started flying to two new Mexican destinations, Culiacan and Chetumal. It has also added capacity to cities like Monterrey and Oaxaca; launched new routes to Puerto Vallarta, Cancún, and Los Cabos; and added frequencies in Chihuahua and Cancun.
The airline will close in 2021 with more than 750 weekly flights to 28 Mexican destinations.
Nonetheless, 2022 will also be a year for growth. American Airlines is already planning to up-gauge its capacity in specific routes, switching from its Embraer E175 fleet to the Airbus A319.
Starting in March 2022, American will use the A319 in flights from Dallas Fort Worth to San Luis Potosí and Queretaro and from Phoenix to Mazatlan. In April, it will do the same in the Miami-Merida route.
Increasing the seats available
The Airbus A319 fleet has a capacity of 128 passengers. Once American Airlines starts operating these aircraft in the aforementioned routes, the airline will have a 67% capacity increase in Queretaro, 69% in San Luis Potosí, and 59% in Merida.
Additionally, in April next year, American will increase its weekly frequencies on the routes from Austin to Cancun and Los Cabos. The airline will go from three flights per week to seven and four, respectively.
José Maria Giraldo, Managing Director Of Operations Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean at American Airlines, said,
“We are so proud of increasing the seat availability for our clients in key destinations across the country like San Luis Potosí, Queretaro, Merida, Mazatlan, Cancun, and Los Cabos. With this growth, we will have a 22% increase in our operations in Mexico, compared to April 2019. This shows the uttermost compromise we have with the country.”
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New route and current status
Before 2021 ends, American Airlines has launched a new route to Mexico. The carrier is connecting Dallas Fort Worth, and Huatulco. This flight has two weekly operations, and it will be active until April 2, 2022. American Airlines deploys an Embraer E175 with a capacity for 76 passengers.
Up to October 2021, American Airlines had carried 4.2 million passengers between the US and Mexico. It has the largest market share in the market by a stand-alone carrier, with 17.3% (Delta-Aeromexico has an 18.9% share).
Compared to 2019 levels, American Airlines has a 5% passenger increase, according to data provided by Mexico’s civil aviation authorities.
American Airlines’ main routes between the US and Mexico are DFW-Cancun, Miami-Cancun, and Miami-Mexico City.
Have you traveled with American Airlines to Mexico? How was the experience? Let us know in the comments below.
