Although many travelers are still enjoying their 2025 summer vacations, American Airlines is already planning new routes for summer 2026.
The Dallas-based carrier just announced five new routes to Europe that it plans to launch in May 2026.
Among the most notable of the new routes is the first-ever nonstop flight from the United States to Budapest, Hungary. Additional destinations include Athens, Greece, Zurich, Milan, and Prague. The airline will operate the new transatlantic flights from its hubs in Texas, Florida, and Pennsylvania.
“Customers continue to tell us that Europe is where they want to go each summer and these new routes make it even easier to cross the Atlantic in 2026,” said Brian Znotins, American’s senior vice president of network and schedule planning. “We are excited to grow our network to new destinations like Prague and Budapest and offer even more premium travel experiences on our flights to Tokyo.”
Starting on May 21, 2026, American will launch summer seasonal service from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) to Budapest’s Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD). The nonstop flight will be operated with a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane. Also launching the same day from PHL is a new seasonal route to Prague Václav Havel Airport (PRG), operated by a 787-8 as well.
Philadelphia is becoming an important international hub for American’s transatlantic routes. This summer, the airline launched new flights to Edinburgh and Milan from PHL. Next summer, it will serve 20 transatlantic destinations from the East Coast hub.
The carrier is also adding new routes to its home airport of Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW). On May 21, American will launch new seasonal flights from DFW to Athens International Airport (ATH) aboard its 787-8 plane, and to Zurich (ZRH) aboard its Boeing 777-200 jet, which will be the only nonstop service between Dallas and Zurich. The flight to Athens will be American’s fifth nonstop to the Greek capital, making it the carrier with the most nonstop flights between the U.S. and Greece.
Additionally, the airline will also extend service out to Buenos Aires (EZE) out of DFW. The expansion on that route will run from May 21 to August 3 aboard a 787-8 aircraft.
The carrier will also add another route to Italy in 2026: a year-round, nonstop route from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP) aboard a 787-8 plane. With the launch of that route, American will operate a record-breaking 18 daily flights from the U.S. to Italy and Greece next year.
Amid the boom in demand for premium seats, American will also add significantly more premium options on its long-haul flights from DFW and Los Angeles to Tokyo, starting March 26, 2026. Those flights will be served by American’s Boeing 777-300 and -200 planes, respectively, and the carrier says that it will increase premium capacity by a combined 45% on those routes.
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