American Announces New Routes to Mideast, Europe, Africa

Ariana ArghandewalAugust 8, 2019
Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This may influence which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.

American Airlines has finally unveiled the big announcement it has been teasing on social media this week: The airline will begin operating new routes to the Middle East, Europe and Africa starting next summer.

This is exciting news for members of the American AAdvantage program, who now have even more ways to put their AAdvantage miles to use. Below are the details of American Airlines’ new routes and when tickets will become available for purchase.

» Learn more: Which American Airlines credit card should you choose?

New routes coming summer 2020

Here are the new routes American Airlines listed in its news release:

  • Chicago to Krakow, Poland, begins May 7 (5x weekly, operating seasonally).

  • Chicago to Budapest, Hungary, begins May 7 (5x weekly, operating seasonally).

  • Chicago to Prague, Czech Republic, begins May 8 (4x weekly, operating seasonally).

  • Philadelphia to Casablanca, Morocco, begins June 4 (3x weekly, operating seasonally).

  • Dallas-Fort Worth to Tel Aviv, Israel, begins Sept. 9 (3x weekly, operating year-round).

New service to Morocco

American’s nonstop flights between Philadelphia and Casablanca will be the airline’s first foray into Africa. These flights will operate three times per week starting June 4, 2020, with the summer season ending Sept. 8. This news comes on the heels of Royal Air Maroc joining the Oneworld alliance in January 2020, providing even more options for loyal AAdvantage members to put their miles to use on flights to Africa during peak travel months.

3 weekly flights to Tel Aviv

Starting Sept. 9, American Airlines will expand its service to Tel Aviv, with three weekly flights out of Dallas Fort Worth year-round. Tickets for this new route will become available for purchase starting Oct. 10, 2019.

» Learn more: Which American Airlines credit card should you choose?

Expanded service to Eastern Europe

The American Airlines hub at Chicago O’Hare is getting three new seasonal routes to Eastern Europe, starting in May 2020: Krakow, Poland; Budapest, Hungary; and Prague, Czech Republic. Tickets for these routes will be available for purchase starting Aug. 12, 2019.

All of these new Eastern European flights will be operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which offers some of the most spacious economy class seats in the air.

The bottom line

American Airlines’ expansion into Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East is great news all around. Not only does it make it make more nonstop flights available to popular destinations around the world, but it also provides more opportunities to redeem American AAdvantage miles for international travel.

American Airlines has lost several valuable partners in the past few years, including Aer Lingus and Airberlin. This has limited its route network and made it more challenging to book award travel, especially to Europe. The addition of these new routes is an exciting step in the right direction.

How to Maximize Your Rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2021, including those best for:

Planning a trip? Check out these articles for more inspiration and advice: Find the best travel credit card for you Earn more points and miles with these 6 strategies Alaska Airlines Members Can Now Redeem Miles on Aer Lingus

We want to hear from you and encourage a lively discussion among our users. Please help us keep our site clean and safe by following our posting guidelines, and avoid disclosing personal or sensitive information such as bank account or phone numbers. Any comments posted under NerdWallet’s official account are not reviewed or endorsed by representatives of financial institutions affiliated with the reviewed products, unless explicitly stated otherwise.