American Airlines New and Interesting Routes for 2020 – Here are the Schedules

While the US airlines do lag behind some international carriers in both the seat comfort and service, there is no doubt that there are benefits to getting on a US airline in the US for an international destination. Not only can you connect with the same airline from smaller airports but things like elite status and even cheaper airline-specific awards can come in handy and even provide opportunities for upgrades, if you have those certificates with your elite status.

American Airlines New and Interesting Routes for 2020

For passengers that like those thing (and generally like flying US airlines anyway!), these new routes that American Airlines announced last week should be of interest to you! Here is what they are and the schedule for them (since none of them are daily service).

Routes from Chicago

Chicago – Krakow, Poland

For the flights from Chicago O’Hare to Krakow, Poland (a nice choice for sure), American Airlines will be flying their Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and the route will begin May 7, 2020. It is a seasonal route (how many people will fill those planes at good prices for winter travel? 🙂 ) and will end October 23, 2020. With over 1.5 million people in the Chicago metro area of Polish descent, this will surely be a great option for those wishing to visit family or travelers wanting to check out a new city.

Those flights will operate 5 times a week on the following schedule:

• ORD – KRK 18:55 departure and 11:10 departure the next day
• KRK – ORD 12:40 departure and 16:05 arrival the same day
  • on two days per week, the departure will actually be 20 minutes later than above

It will fly Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from Chicago at a blocked time of 9 hours and 15 minutes and will return from Krakow on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday with a blocked time of 10 hours and 25 minutes.

Chicago – Prague, Czech Republic

Another route from Chicago to Europe and another seasonal route that will be serviced using a 787-8 aircraft. This flight will begin May 8, 2020 and will end for the summer on October 24, 2020. Prague is a great destination city in Europe that offers a lot of history and culture at a very decent price compared to some other European cities.

These flights will also operate 5 times a week on the following schedule:

• ORD – PRG 18:50 departure and 10:50 arrival the next day
• PRG – ORD 12:50 departure and 16:05 arrival the same day

It will fly from Chicago on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with a scheduled time of 9 hours. The return from Prague will take place on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday with a time of 10 hours and 15 minutes.

Chicago – Budapest, Hungary

Another great city and another seasonal route. This will also be served by a 787-8 and will begin May 7, 2020 and end on October 24, 2020. Here is the schedule for this 4 times weekly flight:

• ORD – BUD 18:30 departure and 10:35 arrival the next day
• BUD – ORD 12:40 departure and 16:25 arrival the same day

It will fly from Chicago on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday with a time slot of 9 hours and 5 minutes. The return is slated to take place on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday with a time of 10 hours and 45 minutes.

AA’s Entrance into Africa

Not only will AA be adding 3 seasonal routes to cities in Europe but they will also be entering Africa via their new non-stop flight between Philadelphia and Casablanca, Morocco. I have been to Marrakech and I can say that I would certainly welcome a return to Morocco and to Casablanca based on that trip!

This flight will only be offered 3 times per week and it will be carried out with a Boeing 757. This flight will also be seasonal and will begin June 4, 2020 and end September 8, 2020.

Here is the schedule for this new flight:

• PHL – CMN 21:30 departure and 10:05 arrival the next day
• CMN – PHL 12:15 departure and 15:45 arrival the same day

It will fly from Philadelphia on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday with a fast time of 7 hours and 35 minutes. The return from Casablanca will take place on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday with a time of 8 hours and 30 minutes.

AA Returns to Israel

Having traveled to Israel from the US on Delta and United many times (in addition to connecting through Europe), I am excited about AA getting back into the Israel mix. I also like that this departs from Dallas. With United and Delta offering their non-stops from either the East Coast or San Francisco, this gives those in the mid-USA a nice option for this long-haul.

Strangely, this route will not begin until September 9, 2020 and it will be a year-round route. The schedule is not yet open for this flight so there are also no reservations open on this route yet either.

This route will be using a Boeing 787-9 aircraft and it will take place 4 times a week with the following schedule:

• DFW – TLV 22:20 departure and 19:10 arrival the next day
• TLV – DFW 22:05 departure and 5:05 arrival the next day

That schedule is one of the main reasons I love flying US airlines to Israel. It is really nice to arrive back in the US early in the morning and to be able to still have a full day in Israel the day before. I have been back in western NY by 9am in times past – after having been out all day in Jerusalem the day before!

This will certainly be a nice new route and I hope they increase its frequency or add another city (Philadelphia would be ideal or maybe Miami) in the next year or so.

Featured image courtesy of Stefano Panzeri via Shutterstock