American challenges United with new Chicago routes

American Airlines will add nine new routes from its Chicago O’Hare International airport hub from June, following competitor United Airlines in adding new markets from the airport this summer.

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The Fort Worth-based Oneworld Alliance carrier will add new service to Appleton, Birmingham (Alabama), Boise, Colorado Springs, Greensboro, Greenville/Spartanburg, Guatemala City, Hattiesburg (Mississippi) and Ontario from Chicago in June and July, it says.

In addition, American will add new service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Spokane on 5 July.

“We’re the first US carrier to have positive unit revenue growth in more than a year and a half,” says Robert Isom, president of American, in a letter to employees on the new routes. “To continue building on this momentum we’re focused on flying the right aircraft in the right markets at the right time.”

American will take on United on most of the new routes from Chicago O’Hare. United serves six of the markets, while Southwest Airlines serves two from nearby Chicago Midway airport.

Chicago-based United announced its own summer network expansion from O’Hare in February. It will add six new routes from the airport, five of which – Charlottesville, Champaign/Urbana, Columbia (Missouri), Reno and Rochester (Minnesota) – are served by American.

American is the second largest carrier at Chicago O’Hare, operating 36% of seats from the airport in March, FlightGlobal schedules show. Unitedoperates 44% of seats from O’Hare.

The new routes from Chicago and Dallas/Fort Worth this summer join ones previously announced by American. The carrier will add service to Billings, Bozeman, Eugene, Grand Junction, Jackson Hole, Medford and Traverse City from a number of its hubs in June.

Separately, American will reduce the number of flights in the banks at itsMiami International airport hub in April. This will “reduce operational pressure” on its facilities there, it says in a statement.

The airline implemented a new banked schedule in Miami in August 2014. At the time, each bank had up to 40 arrivals and 50 departures.

In addition, American plans to eliminate all Boeing 757 and Boeing 767 flying at its Los Angeles International airport hub this summer. This will reduce operational complexity by streamlining the number of fleet types that operate at the airport, it says.