Austin–Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)
is facing another setback from 
American Airlines
, with the cancelation of four additional routes later this year. It comes as the carrier has been significantly downsizing its presence at the airport since last year.
By the end of this year, American will offer service to just 10 destinations, half of what was previously offered. While the Fort Worth, Texas-based airline is shrinking its operation,
one of its US legacy competitors is doing the opposite
.
Saying goodbye to four more markets
American filed the changes last week, according to Adrian Waltz, who tracks route changes indicated by aviation data and analytics provider Cirium. After November 4th, the airline will no longer connect AUS to the following destinations:
- Nashville International Airport (BNA)
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
- Raleigh–Durham International Airport (RDU)
- John Wayne Airport (SNA)
Nashville & Boston
The AUS-BNA route is popular as American competes with Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines. The airline currently operates the route with one daily frequency in each direction on the Embraer E175
, operated by Envoy Air, its wholly-owned regional subsidiary under the American Eagle brand.
Next month, American will offer 4,712 seats on the route across 62 flights. In November, only four flights are scheduled in each direction, offering 608 seats. Southwest dominates the route with 384 scheduled frequencies in October on its Boeing 737-700, -800, and MAX 8 aircraft, offering a whopping 61,280 seats. In November, it will operate 346 flights, providing 54,822 seats.
Photo: lorenzatx | Shutterstock
Delta, on the other hand, will offer just over 13,100 seats next month. The flights will primarily be operated by SkyWest Airlines on its E175s under the Delta Connection brand. However, two flights are scheduled to be handled by Delta’s mainline Airbus A220-100 aircraft, according to Cirium.
American also operates daily service on its A319s between AUS and BOS. Next month, it will offer just under 8,000 seats across 62 frequencies. Eight flights are scheduled on the route in November, with a total of 1,024 seats. Delta, JetBlue Airways, and Southwest also operate the route, with Delta being the dominator. The carrier has 116 flights scheduled this month, while JetBlue has 62 frequencies.
Raleigh–Durham & Orange County
Between AUS and RDU, American offers daily flights on the E175. In October, 31 flights will be offered in each direction, while Delta has 55 frequencies scheduled in each direction on the same aircraft. Southwest is another contender on the route, with a total of 86 flights offered.
American and Southwest go head-to-head on the AUS-SNA route with twice-daily flights. However, after November 4th, Southwest will assume all of the demand. Next month, both carriers will operate a total of 54 flights between the two cities. However, Southwest beats out American in terms of capacity. The carrier, which only deploys the 737-700 on the route, will offer 7,722 seats, in comparison to American’s 6,912 seats on the A319
.
Photo: Philip Pilosian | Shutterstock
Once the routes are cut, travelers who choose to fly on American will have to connect through one of its hubs – likely Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) or Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) – to reach the destinations. The other markets American will continue to serve include Cancún, Charlotte, Chicago O’Hare, Los Angeles, Miami, New York-JFK, Philadelphia, and Los Cabos.
A spokesperson from the airline previously told Simple Flying that the route cuts are “part of the continuous evaluation” of its network. The airline also explained that it proactively reaches out to impacted passengers and apologizes for any inconveniences it may cause.