CHICAGO — American Airlines is giving travelers a head start on planning winter getaways from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) with significant growth to warm weather destinations. The airline is adding seven new destinations from ORD, including five new international destinations to Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America — more than doubling its service to the region with more flights from Chicago than any other carrier.
While the summer season is beginning to ramp up, American is giving Chicagoans a network for all seasons with new routes to popular destinations. This winter, American will add new service from Chicago to Curacao (CUR); St. Croix (STX); St. Maarten (SXM); Guatemala City (GUA); and San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO). The airline already serves 11 destinations in the region from ORD, nearly all of which will fly more frequently this winter compared to last year. Additionally, American will add new service from Chicago to Roanoke, Virginia (ROA) and Akron/Canton, Ohio (CAK), providing additional domestic connectivity through American’s Midwest hub.
“As we get our first taste of spring in Chicago, we are already looking ahead to giving our customers a reprieve from the bitter Midwest winter with more than double the flights to popular vacation spots,” said American's Vice President of ORD Operations Ben Humphrey. “Building on our major Chicago expansion, we continue to strengthen our network and reaffirm our commitment to the Chicago communities we serve — our loyal customers, the local economy and our team members who are the driving force behind our operation.”
With this expansion, American will lead the way from ORD with more service than any other carrier from Chicago to Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America, making it more convenient for customers to access sought-after vacation destinations like St. Thomas (STT); Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (GCM); Aruba (AUA); and Liberia, Costa Rica (LIR) — which will all be increasing from one flight per week to up to daily service.
Building on its status as the largest airline in Mexico with service to 30 destinations in the country, American will add more flights from ORD to Cancun (CUN), Los Cabos (SJD) and Puerto Vallarta (PVR).
“With 17 new destinations just this year, American’s major growth is a testament to their commitment to our great city. We thank them for their continued partnership and the impact this expansion has on our local economy – keeping the airport one of the biggest economic engines for the region,” said Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
For more than 40 years, the industry-leading AAdvantage® program has provided customers a simplified way to earn miles, status, benefits and more. Whether flying on American’s new nonstop from ORD to Naples, Italy (NAP) — the gateway to the picturesque Amalfi Coast — this summer or on one of American’s partners to other global destinations, earning miles with the AAdvantage® program is easy and free. Customers can redeem their miles for air travel and beyond, including experiences, car rentals, hotels and more.
Tickets for American’s expanded new service from ORD will be available for purchase on aa.com or through American’s mobile app starting May 5.
American’s expanded winter service from Chicago
| Arrival airport | Service notes |
|---|---|
| Akron/Canton, Ohio (CAK) | New twice-daily service starting Oct. 6 |
| Aruba (AUA) | Increase to daily service starting Dec. 18 |
| Cancun, Mexico (CUN) | Up to three daily flights starting Nov. 2 |
| Curacao (CUR) | New Saturday-only service starting Dec. 6 |
| Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (GCM) | Increase to daily service starting Dec. 18 |
| Guatemala City (GUA) | New up to three weekly flights starting Nov. 6 |
| Liberia, Costa Rica (LIR) | Increase to daily service starting Dec. 18 |
| Los Cabos, Mexico (SJD) | Up to two daily flights starting Nov. 2 |
| Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ) | Up to two daily flights starting Nov. 2 |
| Nassau, Bahamas (NAS) | Up to daily service starting Dec. 18 |
| Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (PVR) | Increase to two daily flights from Dec. 18 to Jan. 6 |
| Roanoke, Virginia (ROA) | New daily service starting Aug. 6 |
| San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO) | New daily service starting Nov. 2 |
| San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) | Up to two daily flights starting Dec. 18 |
| St. Croix (STX) | New Saturday-only service starting Dec. 6 |
| St. Maarten (SXM) | New Saturday-only service starting Nov. 8 |
| St. Thomas (STT) | Up to daily service starting Dec. 18 |
Bringing new destinations to O’Hare
American recently announced it will offer more capacity than ever before this summer with 25% more seats from ORD compared to last summer. Just this year, American has added 17 new destinations for Chicago customers to enjoy, including Honolulu (HNL); Madrid, Spain (MAD); and Halifax, Nova Scotia (YHZ). Among those are five new destinations served only by American from ORD, including St. Croix (STX); Curacao (CUR); Idaho Falls, Idaho (IDA) — near Yellowstone National Park; Hyannis, Massachusetts (HYA) — the Cape Cod region and Naples, Italy (NAP).
Additionally, this summer American will be the only airline to offer premium options for customers on every flight from Chicago. Starting June 5, the airline will operate all flights from ORD on dual-class regional jets, giving customers more opportunities to enjoy a premium experience.
The airline is making the travel experience stress-free for Chicago customers with recent enhancements to boarding and check-in at ORD. That includes new self-service kiosks and a lobby reconfiguration for faster check-in and better flow. American recently implemented its industry-leading boarding technology at ORD and is enhancing the boarding process systemwide with updated boarding groups and five extra minutes of boarding time starting today.
About American Airlines Group
As a leading global airline, American Airlines offers thousands of flights per day to more than 350 destinations in more than 60 countries. The airline is a founding member of the oneworld® alliance, whose members serve more than 900 destinations around the globe. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL. Learn more about what’s happening at American by visiting news.aa.com and connect with American @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines. To Care for People on Life’s Journey®.
