American Airlines celebrates 80 years of operating in Mexico, one of its main international markets, this month. In 1942, the airline launched its first service between Dallas and Mexico City with a Douglas DC-3 aircraft, with a stopover in Monterrey.
The Aztec country became the company’s second international destination, following the launch of Toronto, Canada in 1941.
«As the leading U.S. airline in Mexico, we are proud to celebrate 80 years of connecting our two countries, offering our customers an unmatched network and the highest level of service,» said Jose A. Freig, vice president of International for American Airlines.
«It is important that we recognize and thank our Mexico-based team members for their outstanding work leading American’s largest international operation during a year of record growth for us in the country,» Freig added.
Largest U.S. airline network in Mexico
Mexico is American’s largest international destination, where the airline operates more than 500 weekly flights in 27 destinations including: Acapulco, Aguascalientes, Cancun, Chihuahua, Mexico City, Cozumel, Culiacan, Durango, Guadalajara, Hermosillo, Huatulco, La Paz, Leon, Loreto, Mazatlan, Merida, Monterrey, Morelia, Oaxaca, Puerto Vallarta, Queretaro, San Jose del Cabo, San Luis Potosi, Torreon, Zacatecas, as well as seasonal service to Zihuatanejo and Manzanillo.
American connects to the Aztec country from its main hubs in: Charlotte (CLT), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Philadelphia (PHL) and Phoenix (PHX), in addition to other point-to-point services including: Austin (AUS), Boston (BOS), Columbus (CMH), Kansas City (MCI), Raleigh/Durham (RDU) and St. Louis (STL).
American has more than 1,100 team members in Mexico, the largest number of employees outside the United States. The operation includes two reservations offices in Mexico City and Monterrey, four Ticket Sales Centers in Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara and Leon, and an Admirals Club at Mexico City’s Benito Juarez International Airport.
2022: a year of exceptional growth
In 2022, American had an exceptional year of record growth in Mexico with a more than 40% increase in capacity over 2019. In addition to operating strategic routes with larger aircraft and increasing frequencies in key markets, the airline also launched new services such as Austin and Cozumel and starting in November two new routes from New York to Mexico City and Monterrey.
According to data obtained by Aviacionline through the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC), the company mobilized 4,270,486 passengers and 2,651 tons of cargo in 30,257 air operations in the January-July 2022 period between Mexico and the United States. Currently, American is the leading airline operator in this segment with a 21.2% share, and its Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) mega hub is the main destination between the two countries, accounting for 14.6% of passenger and cargo operations.
See also: American Airlines announces flights between New York and Monterrey
