American adds 2 new routes, drops 4 Caribbean flights; expands again in Austin

American Airlines is making some notable changes to its network.

Perhaps the most interesting is the addition of another new route from Austin, bringing the carrier’s total to nearly 50 routes from the Texas capital.

The airline will commence service from the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) to the Memphis International Airport (MEM) beginning on Jan. 10, as first seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by a carrier spokesperson.

The new route will be flown by regional affiliate Envoy Air on a 76-seat Embraer E175, featuring 12 first-class recliners, 20 extra-legroom Main Cabin Extra seats and 44 standard Main Cabin seats.

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The route will operate once daily.

In addition to the new Austin-to-Memphis service, American is also extending the schedule for flights from Austin to PSP and RSW.

Previously, the airline had planned to fly both routes on select days in November, December and January during peak holiday periods. Now, American will fly these routes on a daily basis between Jan. 10 and May 4, 2023.

This schedule expansion and extension comes as American has been strategically expanding in Austin in recent months. The airline kicked off the growth in March 2021 with 10 new routes from the fast-growing metro area. The carrier has since followed up with a slew of additional routes, turning Austin into something of a focus city for the airline.

In fact, American unveiled plans late last year to bring a new 15,000-square-foot Admirals Club to the city. Plans call for floor-to-ceiling windows, a variety of seating areas, locally inspired art installations and live music from local artists.

While the carrier is growing in Austin, it is making some changes elsewhere that will affect its Caribbean service.

The airline will end service on the following four flights:

• Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) — Las Américas International Airport near Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (SDQ)
• DFW — Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Martin (SXM)
• Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) — SDQ
• PHL — Cibao International Airport near Santiago, Dominican Republic (STI)

American cites reduced demand as the reason to cut the routes. The carrier will continue serving each outstation from other domestic hubs.

However, it isn’t all bad news for travelers heading south of the border. The carrier did add a new route to Mexico in this week’s schedule update.

The carrier will connect Phoenix with a new 888-mile nonstop to Monterrey, Mexico, that’ll launch on Jan. 10. This new daily service will be operated by regional affiliate Envoy Air on an Embraer E175.