Exciting new airline routes from August 2023 and beyond

01.09.2023 - 16:25 / thepointsguy.com

Here at TPG, we keep you informed about all the changes and developments in the travel industry.

In the airline world, one thing that seems to keep changing is the route map. Airlines like to say that they are in a unique position since they can simply deploy their planes as needed to seek out greater profits.

There are plenty of other reasons for airline network adjustments, but one thing is certain: Route maps are always changing, and you can count on TPG to bring you all the news as it unfolds.

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That said, not every single route announcement deserves its own story, so we're bringing back our recap series to highlight many of the biggest and most notable route announcements each month. (Like what you read or have suggested improvements? Email us at [email protected].)

August brought a slew of network updates, but no carrier was nearly as busy as American Airlines, which became the first of the major U.S. airlines to unveil a big expansion in Europe for next summer. American also shuffled around another high-profile long-haul route and even made some domestic adjustments now that the Northeast Alliance with JetBlue is over.

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Read on for the August route announcements you might've missed.

The Irish flag carrier announced a big U.S. expansion this month that includes new service from Dublin to Denver and Minneapolis.

This will bring the Aer Lingus U.S. network to a total of 15 destinations in the U.S., plus Toronto.

Note that Minneapolis is technically a resumption for Aer Lingus since it used to fly to this Delta Air Lines hub before the pandemic. (In fact, Delta even retaliated to the Aer Lingus announcement just hours later — more on that below.)

Where to start with American ...

Internationally, the carrier just unveiled its biggest European expansion since the pandemic began. This includes three brand-new destinations — Copenhagen; Naples, Italy; and Nice, France — all served nonstop from Philadelphia beginning next summer. The airline will also add a new route from Dallas-Fort Worth to Barcelona and resume service from Chicago to Venice, Italy.

A handful of other network tidbits are included in American's big announcement, so be sure to check it out.

In another high-profile move, American announced that it's scrapping its nonstop route from New York to Doha, Qatar, a flight that launched in conjunction with the now-defunct Northeast Alliance.

Instead of fully cutting the route, American will switch the gateway to Philadelphia — another big boost for this Northeast hub that seems to have been neglected by American in recent years.

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