American Airlines transported 8.4 million passengers between the United States and Europe in the year leading up to November 2024, according to data from the US Department of Transportation. This figure places American as the third-largest operator on these routes, following Delta Air Lines with 11.3 million passengers and United Airlines with 10.8 million.
The airline operated 51 routes during this period, achieving an average seat occupancy rate of 82%, slightly below the industry average. All transatlantic flights were conducted using widebody aircraft, a practice that continues into 2025.
Among American’s European routes, seven had over 250,000 roundtrip passengers each. These routes all involved London’s Heathrow Airport and benefited from American’s partnership with British Airways through their transatlantic joint venture. These seven routes accounted for approximately 40% of American’s European traffic.
“Dallas/Fort Worth-London Heathrow was American’s top European market,” noted the report. British Airways plans to end its service on this route in March 2025, prompting American to increase its own frequency to five daily flights starting March 29.
Booking data indicates that around 42% of Dallas/Fort Worth-London Heathrow passengers connected to other flights at either end of their journey. The most popular connecting segment was Cancun-Dallas/Fort Worth-London.
In addition to these high-traffic routes, there are several others with significant passenger numbers ranging from over 150,000 to just under 100,000 annually. For instance, “Dallas/Fort Worth-Madrid” and “Miami-Barcelona” each reported load factors as high as 90%.
The article also highlights some seasonal and leisure-focused routes with notable performance metrics. Chicago O’Hare-Athens boasted the highest load factor among American’s European destinations at 94%.
Several new or reinstated routes contributed to these figures in 2024, including Dallas/Fort Worth-Barcelona which began service in February for a major event before regular operations commenced in April.
Overall, despite facing competitive pressures and varying load factors across different markets, American Airlines has maintained a strong presence on transatlantic routes by leveraging strategic partnerships and adapting route offerings based on demand patterns.
