American Airlines has recently announced a significant long-haul expansion for summer 2026. This expansion includes six “new” routes, although only one of them is technically brand new. The airline is expanding beyond their usual transatlantic destinations such as London and Paris, which is exciting news for travelers.
New Route:
The only truly new route announced by American Airlines is the daily flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Athens, Greece starting on May 21, 2026. This flight will be operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. American will now fly to Athens International Airport (ATH) from five U. S. gateways, more than any other U. S. airline. This new route is the longest and furthest west of all American’s other flights to Athens, but it is expected to perform well due to the popularity of Greece as a travel destination. It is also worth noting that Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is American’s biggest hub, making it a strategic choice for this new route.
Resuming Routes:
The remaining five routes announced by American have all been operated in the past.
– DFW to Ezeiza International Airport (EZE) in Buenos Aires, service running from May 21 to Aug. 3
– DFW to Zurich Airport (ZRH), service running from May 21 to Aug.
The two flights from DFW are specifically targeting global soccer fans, as the FIFA World Cup will have nine games taking place in Dallas next summer. American has previously flown from DFW to ZRH in 2007 and from DFW to EZE in the winter season. The flight from MIA to MXP was last operated in 2020 but was suspended due to the pandemic. This flight complements the recently launched flight from MIA to Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO). Lastly, the flights to BUD and PRG were last operated in the 2018 and 2019 winter seasons, respectively. These routes will now be operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
Transpacific Routes:
American also announced that they will be upgrading their service to Tokyo next summer. This includes using a Boeing 777-300ER from Dallas to Tokyo and a Boeing 777-200 from Los Angeles to Tokyo. These routes are currently operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, and the upgrade will increase premium seating capacity by more than 45%.