Summary
- American Airlines will halt flights between Boston and Memphis in September.
- Delta Air Lines, with a larger network in Boston, likely took over capacity after American dominated the route for nearly a year.
- The flights are operated by regional carrier Republic Airways.
American Airlines is planning to suspend nonstop flights between Boston and Memphis later this year. The route, which was reportedly “long-pursued,” was first launched two years ago as air travel demand bounced back after the pandemic.
The move will shift all capacity on the route to Delta Air Lines, which will continue operating flights between the two destinations. American’s decision to end the route is likely due to unprofitability.
Only two more months
The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline has scheduled the last flight between Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and Memphis International Airport (MEM) for September 3rd. The flights have been operated by the Embraer E175 regional jet on behalf of Republic Airways under the American Eagle brand. The aircraft has 76 seats onboard in a two-class format – 12 in first class and 64 in the main cabin.
Photo: Raleigh–Durham International Airport
Before American drops the route, the airline will continue to operate daily flights, according to aviation analytics and data provider Cirium. This month, 60 flights are scheduled, 30 in each direction. As a result, 4,560 seats are offered between BOS and MEM. In July, 62 flights will operate, increasing the seat count to 4,712. With 31 days in August, frequencies and seat capacity will be replicated from July. In September, only five flights are scheduled – two to MEM and three to BOS.
Competitive edge, but not for long
According to the Memphis Business Journal, the route was “long-pursued.” American became the first airline to launch service between the two destinations in June 2022. As pandemic-related restrictions began to ease, demand spiked nationwide, prompting airlines to launch new routes. American undoubtedly had a competitive advantage on the route as it was the exclusive operator for several months.
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The carrier said the decision is “to best serve the current needs” of its operation.
The carrier operated the route with near-daily frequencies for nearly a year before competition came onto the scene.
Taken over by Delta
While American’s launch of the route was in response to demand, it was undoubtedly a jab to Delta, which operates a hub at BOS. Becoming somewhat of a significant unserved market, the Atlanta-based airline launched flights between BOS and MEM in May 2023.
Republic also operates the flights, but under the Delta Connection regional brand. Beginning in June of last year, both American and Delta operated daily flights during most months, offering over 9,000 monthly seats. The Delta Connection E175s have the exact seating layout as American Eagle’s, accommodating 76 passengers. In addition to American and Delta, Republic also operates flights for United Airlines’ regional brand, United Express. The regional carrier was founded in 1998 and is based in Indianapolis. According to ch-aviation, it has a fleet of more than 200 E-Jets. Most of its aircraft are newer E175s, while some older planes are E170s and will likely be retired in the coming years.
Photo: Republic Airways
Delta’s BOS network is more extensive than American’s, meaning passengers have more destinations to connect to. While American may have initially experienced success between BOS and MEM, Delta likely took over the capacity in the last year, leading American to examine its profitability on the route. Simple Flying contacted the oneworld Alliance airline on Monday for comment on its decision to end the route, but a representative could not be immediately reached.
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