Philadelphia is the USA’s 21st busiest airport by flights and number 56 worldwide. That finding is based on examining all planned services using Cirium data between September 2024 and July 2025. American has about three in four services, making it a true fortress hub and the carrier’s sixth-busiest hub.
American Eagle’s regional jets, which operate nearly half its parent’s total (45%), are essential. Such heavy use means the oneworld member’s Philly services have just 124 seats/flight, second only to Chicago O’Hare’s 110 at the hub level.
American has 121 Philadelphia routes
Analyzing networks is always ‘risky’ as things can—and do—change, sometimes shortly after an article is published. Nonetheless, as of September 11, Cirium data shows that American plans 121 non-stop routes until next July. While fairly questionable, the figure includes its São Paulo one-off sports service in September and two South Bend sports flights in November.
While its map has increased from 114 destinations in the same period a year before, it is still down from 130+ between September 2019 and July 2020.
Photo: EQRoy | Shutterstock
In the 11 months, American plans an average of 528 daily Philadelphia take-offs/landings. That is the picture as of September 11; its schedule will likely be fine-tuned for this winter and next spring/summer.
Breaking down its network reveals flights to 26 international countries (including the one-off to Brazil). About nine in 10 movements will be domestic, with 87 destinations served (including South Bend).
Multiple launches in 2023/2024
The addition of Nice, Naples, and Copenhagen meant American had 14 European routes in summer 2024, more than from any other hub. Philadelphia also had the most Europe-bound flights, cementing its position as American’s leading gateway. Of course, it revolves more around connectivity over the Pennsylvania hub than point-to-point demand.
- October 28, 2023: Doha (it replaced Qatar Airways; American ended JFK-Doha, and Qatar Airways added more JFK flights)
- May 6, 2024: Nice (brand-new destination for Philadelphia and American)
- June 5, 2024: Naples (brand-new destination for Philadelphia and American)
- June 5, 2024: San Antonio (last served by American in 2020)
- June 6, 2024: Copenhagen (brand-new destination for Philadelphia and American)
What routes are still coming?
They are as follows, some of which were announced in September:
- November 9, 2024: Barbados (brand-new destination for American from Philly; last served by US Airways in 2010)
- December 7, 2024: Liberia (brand-new destination from Philadelphia)
- December 19, 2024: Northwest Arkansas (Fayetteville; last served by American in 2020)
- May 23, 2025: Edinburgh (last served by American in 2019; marks the carrier’s return to Scotland)
- May 23, 2025: Milan Malpensa (brand-new destination from Philadelphia)
- June 5, 2025: Des Moines (last served by American in 2020)
- June 5, 2025: Omaha (last served by American in 2020)
Image: GCMap
Where has been cut?
Using Cirium data to compare American’s Philly network between January 2019 and August 2024 and September 2024 and June 2025 indicates that 38 airports have been removed.
This only relates to flights; some nearby cities now have a bus service, ensuring they’re still connected to American’s global network. For many of the short domestic routes, the 50-seat all-economy ERJ-145 or CRJ200 were critical.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
The list excludes any place, such as Casablanca, that was announced but did not begin. Of course, American continues to serve many of the airports from other hubs. They are shown below in the year of last service:
- 2019: Berlin Tegel (closed; it does not serve Brandenburg), Bologna, Budapest, Dubrovnik, Erie, Mexico City, Munich, Prague, Shannon
- 2020: Allentown, Baltimore, Chattanooga, Manchester (UK), Oklahoma City, Ottawa, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
- 2021: Bozeman, Charleston (WV), Melbourne (FL), Palm Springs, Stewart, Tweed New Haven, Williamsport
- 2022: Akron Canton, Cozumel, Eagle/Vail, Islip, Ithaca, JFK, Kingston, Newport News, Santo Domingo, Santiago (DO), Worcester
- 2023: Daytona Beach, Fort Wayne
- 2024: Augusta (it may return in April 2025 for the Masters, but it is not currently scheduled), Charlottesville