American Airlines suspends Los Angeles and Phoenix flights to London Heathrow

British Airways serves Phoenix with an Airbus A350-1000 aircraft. An American Airlines spokesperson commented on the changes: "As part of a continuous evaluation of our network, American Airlines will adjust service from London (LHR). Together with our partner British Airways, we will continue to operate service from more than 25 destinations across the United States to LHR. We’re proactively reaching out to impacted customers to offer alternate travel arrangements."

JonNYC also reported that one of American's Heathrow slots would be used to retime a Chicago frequency.

These adjustments come as American increased its summer Europe capacity year-over-year above industry averages. Delta Air Lines' recent earnings announcement and reduced profit expectations indicate an oversupply relative to demand in transatlantic routes.

Winter demand for transatlantic travel typically declines significantly, posing challenges for low-cost carriers without counter-seasonal hubs. While summer travel sees high occupancy rates and profitability on European routes, business tends to diminish during winter months. It remains uncertain whether American Airlines will use this period of reduced Boeing 777 transatlantic operations for retrofitting Boeing 777-300ERs by eliminating first class and installing new business class suites or if there will be an increase in domestic widebody and Cancun flights.