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American Airlines leads U.S. summer travel; United dominates transatlantic routes

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American Airlines leads U.S. summer travel; United dominates transatlantic routes
Research
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Gary Leff Chief Financial Officer | View from the Wing

Data from aviation analytics company Cirium indicates that American Airlines offers the most seats of any airline this summer, surpassing Southwest Airlines as the largest carrier by this measure. Both airlines have a predominantly domestic network and do not fly their seats as far as United Airlines or Delta Air Lines.

Overall, domestic scheduled seats have increased by 6% year-over-year despite aircraft delivery delays, particularly from Boeing. Seats across the Atlantic have risen by 7.8% this month, with Delta trailing United Airlines closely. United maintains a larger presence across the Pacific.

Among domestic carriers, American Airlines leads in the number of seats flown domestically, followed closely by Southwest Airlines. Breeze Airways has shown rapid growth at 33.36%, expanding from a low base. Ultra-low-cost carriers Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and Sun Country Airlines have also experienced significant growth ranging from 21% to 36%. These carriers are attempting to spread higher costs over more seats.

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American Airlines grew its seat capacity by 8%, acknowledging that it may have expanded too quickly. In contrast, Delta grew by 5% and United by 3%. JetBlue's capacity shrank by 9%, reflecting unprofitable routes and operational challenges.

Cirium reports that the route with the most seats this month is Seattle-Anchorage, with approximately 146,000 seats—80% of which are operated by Alaska Airlines. Anchorage is noted for its seasonal traffic surge.

In terms of transatlantic travel, seat capacity has increased nearly 8% compared to last summer, driven partly by secular demand trends and events like the July Olympics in Paris. Air France has grown its seat capacity over 15%, leading among major carriers.

United remains the largest carrier across the Atlantic but only marginally ahead of Delta. American offers about 21% fewer transatlantic seats than Delta due to constraints from aircraft delivery delays and aggressive fleet retirements during the pandemic.

The greatest percentage growth in U.S.-Europe routes is seen in Denmark (27%), followed by Croatia (17%) and Spain (16%).

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