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American Airlines reduces presence at former San Juan hub

American Airlines reduces presence at former San Juan hub
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Airbus A380 | Airbus

American Airlines once held a significant position at San Juan's Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, serving as a key hub for travelers across the Caribbean. However, over the years, its presence has notably diminished.

In the early 2000s, American Airlines invested heavily in its San Juan operations, positioning it as a gateway to the Caribbean. "At its peak in 2007," according to Aviation Week, "American Airlines operated over 35,000 annual departures from San Juan, offering more than 4.5 million seats."

The financial crisis of the late 2000s and increased competition led American Airlines to reevaluate its strategy. In 2012, facing bankruptcy protection and restructuring efforts, the airline began de-hubbing San Juan in 2013. Factors such as financial constraints and competition from low-cost carriers like JetBlue and Spirit influenced this decision.

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By 2014, departures had dropped significantly to just over 4,000 annually with approximately 700,000 seats available—a sharp decline compared to previous years. Despite this reduction in operations by 2015 there were signs of recovery; American Airlines increased capacity year-on-year by 7.7%, surpassing one million seats again in 2016.

In April 2017 however they made another strategic move: canceling their service between New York John F Kennedy Airport (JFK) and San Juan which had been operating since March1971 when acquired from Trans Caribbean Airlines."We have made the difficult decision to cancel our service," said spokesperson LeKesha Boewn in USA Today."We continually evaluate our network looking at supply-demand for each route we serve."

Although ending JFK-SJU flights on August22nd did not mean ceasing all connections with Puerto Rico altogether; currently maintaining21 daily flights between SJU five other hubs including Charlotte Chicago O'Hare Dallas/Fort Worth Miami Philadelphia remains part of their scaled-back schedule focusing high-demand leisure routes maintaining ties local market

While external pressures internal restructuring contributed failure thrive ultimately shifting focus Miami International Airport more efficient hub Caribbean connections led concentration resources there days bustling hub may be over recovery efforts suggest importance destination continues exist albeit reduced form

Organizations Included in this History
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