Warm weather is still months away for much of the United States, but American Airlines is already making plans for the summer of 2027.
The Fort Worth-based airline announced Thursday its newest European destination, set to launch in just over a year: Porto, Portugal.
It will be the first time American Airlines has flown to the coastal Portuguese city – best known as the home of port wine.
This will also serve as a different type of transatlantic destination for the airline. Until now, American Airlines has mainly flown to major European metropolitan areas such as London, Athens, Paris and Rome.
But Porto is certainly a “secondary” destination in Europe, and American Airlines will fly there with its newest aircraft.
American Airlines to send new XLR aircraft to Portugal
American Airlines plans to fly from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) to Porto Airport (OPO) using its new Airbus A321XLR. The city is about 200 miles north of the country’s capital, Lisbon, and American Airlines already offers flights from its Philadelphia hub.
The A321XLR is a long-range single-aisle aircraft launched by American Airlines in December. It is capable of crossing the Atlantic Ocean and features 20 lie-flat flagship suites forward of the business class cabin.
American sees the small, long-haul jet as a way to try to fly to less heavily trafficked cities on the other side of the Atlantic. These cities include Edinburgh, where the airline will launch flights from New York next month.
American Airlines’ Porto service: What you need to know
Ameican’s Porto service won’t start until 2027, an unusually early route announcement.
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“Porto is exactly the type of new market that the Airbus A321XLR enables us to serve,” the airline’s top network planner Brian Znotins said at a company event this week, while also revealing new summer 2027 routes that the airline plans to announce later this year.
Airlines often announce their new “next summer” destinations in the late summer and fall months of the previous year, so this is certainly a good start.
Award space is expected to become available in the coming months once American opens its schedule for the route. The airline plans daily flights to Porto during the summer.
Book using points
Travelers who don’t have enough cash or AAdvantage miles to purchase a business-class suite can also consider XLR’s premium economy cabin, which features three rows of recliners arranged in a 2-2 arrangement.
You can also use points from Alaska Airlines’ Atmos Rewards loyalty program and book American Airlines flights through American’s partners in the Oneworld alliance, such as British Airways and Cathay Pacific.
Here’s how: Use Atmos Rewards points to book American Airlines flights
More flight options in Portugal
American Airlines will establish a presence in Porto, an increasingly popular European destination for tourists.
Delta Air Lines will launch flights from New York to OPO this May, using a larger Boeing 767 aircraft. (Delta has abandoned the idea of flying single-aisle jets across oceans.)
United Airlines serves Porto, the gateway to the Douro Valley region, from its hub at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
TAP Portugal also offers flights to Porto from Newark and Boston.
How much has traveler interest in Portugal increased? The total number of flights from the United States to Western European countries is expected to increase by nearly 30% in the first half of this year compared with three years ago, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Read more: The US just added a slew of new flights to this popular European destination
More XLR flights coming soon
American Airlines said on an earnings call last week that it expects to take delivery of 10 more aircraft by the end of 2026, after taking delivery of its first A321XLR aircraft late last year.
In addition to these new transatlantic flights, the airline is deploying its newest aircraft on some of its key transcontinental routes, such as JFK to Los Angeles and San Francisco and Boston to Los Angeles.
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