American Airlines Expects to Remain Half Its Pre-Pandemic Size Through Year’s End
Skift Take
The world's largest airline will be half the size it was through the end of this year. But CEO Doug Parker thinks its flight network makes American uniquely poised to recover faster. The trajectory of the pandemic, of course, will determine if he's right.
American Airlines sees its strong flight network to Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America as key to the first stage of its recovery. These primarily leisure routes are rebounding more quickly than routes to Europe and Asia, American's executives said during the company's third-quarter 2020 earnings call.
Compared with rivals Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, American historically has had the strongest network to Latin America of the three. It now sees this strength as a differentiator, as fewer countries in the region have imposed quarantines than in Europe and Asia and their tourism-reliant economies are more eager to re-open. American expects flights to Latin America and the Caribbean to reach 70 percent of 2019's levels soon, President Robert Isom told analysts during the call.
American isn't alone in touting its strengths in a particular market. Delta last week pointed to its strong network in the U.S. Southeast and in the Mountain States as key to its rebound. United s
