Summary
- Dallas/Forth Worth to Miami had 46 flights, the top 757 route.
- Philadelphia had frequent routes with Dallas/Forth Worth and Cancun.
- American’s busiest routes included Las Vegas.
American Airlines
was a major operator of the Boeing 757-200
. It operated the type from July 1989, with up to 177 757-200s in the fleet (based on data from ch-aviation). In 2004, they operated 175,000 flights (over 10% of the network), but this declined soon after. By 2014, the type had just 6.1%, and it fell to 1.1% in 2019.
The onset of the pandemic sped up the type’s withdrawal, with the 757-200 finally leaving the fleet in April 2020. It kept going until the end, though, with many routes still operating in April 2020. This article takes a look at the top five routes that were operated that month. All data is based on Cirium, an analytics company, for April 2020.
1
Dallas/Forth Worth (DFW) to Miami (MIA)
The top Boeing 757-200 route with 46 flights in total
|
Route |
Number of flights |
Total seats |
Total ASMs |
|---|---|---|---|
|
MIA to DFW |
24 |
4,224 |
4,735,104 |
|
DFW to MIA |
22 |
3,872 |
4,340,512 |
In top place for the Boeing 757-200
was the popular route between Dallas/Forth Worth (DFW) and Miami (MIA). American Airlines
operated 24 westbound and 22 eastbound flights that month.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
The route between Dallas/Forth Worth (DFW) and Miami (MIA) has long been one of the airline’s top routes. Looking at data for the year from August 2024, the route is the seventh most frequent in the network (with a daily average of 11 flights each way).
It was a mainstay for the 757 as well. Looking at routes operated by the type in 2019 (the last full year for the type), it was the second most frequent route, with 366,432 two-way seats for the year (only Philadelphia was ahead of this).
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2
Dallas/Forth Worth (DFW) to Philadelphia (PHL)
A close second place route with 42 flights in total
|
Route |
Number of flights |
Total seats |
Total ASMs |
|---|---|---|---|
|
DFW to PHL |
21 |
3,696 |
4,812,192 |
|
PHL to DFW |
21 |
3,696 |
4,812,192 |
Coming in close behind Dallas Forth/Worth and Miami is the route between Dallas/Forth Worth and Philadelphia. This again operated regularly until retirement, with 21 flights in each direction in April.
This was previously an even more common route for the 757. Again, looking at routes operated by the type in 2019, it was the most frequent route by a long way – with 603,980 two way seats for the year.
3
Dallas/Forth Worth (DFW) to Las Vegas (LAS)
31 flights operated in April 2020
|
Route |
Number of flights |
Total seats |
Total ASMs |
|---|---|---|---|
|
DFW to LAS |
15 |
2,640 |
2,785,200 |
|
LAS to DFW |
16 |
2,816 |
2,970,880 |
Dallas/Forth Worth (DFW) to Las Vegas (LAS) is one of American’s busiest routes – for the year from August 2024, it comes in fifth place with an average of 12 daily flights each way (and as many as 14).
Photo: Eliyahu Yosef Parypa | Shutterstock
For the last month of 757 operations, there were 31 flights – completing the top three routes as all in and out of American’s DFW hub.
4
Philadelphia (PHL) to Miami (MIA)
A main final route from the PHL hub with 15 flights
|
Route |
Number of flights |
Total seats |
Total ASMs |
|---|---|---|---|
|
PHLto MIA |
11 |
1,936 |
1,961,168 |
|
MIA to PHL |
4 |
704 |
713,152 |
Moving away from American’s DFW hub, Philadelphia (PHL) was also a major 757 hub for the airline. In fourth place for busiest routes in April 2020 is Philadelphia (PHL) to Miami (MIA). With routing choices from the airline, this was operated more frequently in the PHL to MIA direction with 11 eastbound flights, and only four returning west.
Photo: Ryan Fletcher | Shutterstock
Miami was a major 757 base for American before this final year. Looking again at 2019, Miami was top in the network for routes. It had 21 in its final full year, including 11 international across the Caribbean, Mexico, and South America. Quito was top by capacity, but Brasilia – at 3,606 miles – was the longest.
Related
Decade Of Decline: American Airlines’ Slow Boeing 757 Withdrawal
5
Philadelphia (PHL) to Cancun International Airport (CUN)
The top international route – with 12 flights operated in April 2020
|
Route |
Number of flights |
Total seats |
Total ASMs |
|---|---|---|---|
|
PHL to CUN |
6 |
1,056 |
1,550,208 |
|
CUN to PHL |
6 |
1,056 |
1,550,208 |
For the fifth-busiest route, we have an international route from Philadelphia (PHL) to Cancun (CUN). The Boeing 757, of course, was important on regional routes to the Mexico, Latin America, and the Caribbean – with its good match for capacity and range. It is pictured below approaching Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) in St. Martin.
The 757 operated six flights each way between Philadelphia (PHL) and Cancun (CUN). that month, offering 1,056 seats.
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
There were, in fact, several last routes that showed a frequency the same as this – with 11 or 12 flights operated in April 2020. But this route comes out ahead for ASMs with its longer distance. Other routes of this frequency included:
- Boston to Philadelphia
- Dallas/Fort Worth to New York-JFK
- Miami to New York-JFK
- Boston to Charlotte
- Philadelphia to Charlotte
Related
The Fall Of The Boeing 757