Philadelphians are going to be a bit closer to Europe this summer.
American Airlines announced last year it would add three new European destinations this summer and revive another international route that it last flew in 2019.
From PHL to Denmark, Italy and France in 2024
American said that this summer it will add direct flights to Copenhagen, Denmark (PCH); Naples, Italy (NAP); and Nice, France (NCE) — all new destinations for the airline — from Philadelphia International Airport.
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The new routes will operate over the busy summer travel months, according to a news release from PHL:
- The Nice-PHL route will operate daily from May 6 to Oct. 5.
- The Naples-PHL route will operate daily from June 5 to Oct. 25.
- Copenhagen-PHL service will operate daily from June 6 to Oct. 5.
“American has expressed its commitment to Philadelphia as its transatlantic hub and the addition of these new routes for summer 2024 is proof of that commitment,” PHL CEO Atif Saeed said. “As the only American hub serving Copenhagen, Nice and Naples, PHL looks forward to welcoming both an increased number of international guests, as well as domestic passengers making connections to those amazing cities.”
It's been years since American last served this many overseas destinations from Philly.
“As we approach the end of the peak summer travel season, we are beginning to shift our focus on what’s ahead for PHL in 2024 and beyond,” Lakshman Amaranayaka, vice president of PHL Hub Operations, said. “With these three new destinations, American will offer service to 14 European destinations nonstop from Philadelphia next year, marking our largest transatlantic schedule from PHL since 2019.”
Resuming PHL flights to a Texas hotspot
The Philly summer getaways are once again set to include San Antonio.
America will run daily flights between PHL and SAT from June 5 to Sept. 3.
"This is the first time American has flown nonstop between PHL and SAT since 2020," PHL said in its announcement.
American restarting another America-Europe route, Delta also adding new routes
American also plans to resume flights between Chicago and Venice that were dropped four years ago.
The Fort Worth-based airline said it will also extend seasonal summer service on some transatlantic routes longer than in previous summers. Delta is doing something similar this year.
American's announcement comes one day after Delta Air Lines said it will expand service to China later this year.
Atlanta-based Delta announced on Wednesday that it expand China service with 10 flights per week to Shanghai from Seattle and Detroit. International travel to and from China has been slower to recover than just about any other region due to COVID-19 restrictions.
The news from two of the biggest U.S. carriers underscores the airline industry's confidence that its strong recovery from the pandemic will continue and that planes will remain packed.
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