American Announces New International Routes for Summer 2026, Expands Premium to Tokyo

Europe and South America will receive additional summer service next year, while Tokyo will be serviced with aircraft with more premium capacity.

Last night, American Airlines dropped a teaser on social media regarding an announcement of new routes. That announcement is now here, with Europe and South America getting new service.

Additionally, Tokyo will receive more premium capacity next year as the airline utilizes different aircraft.

“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, Senior VP 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.”

Below are the new routes to Europe and South America:

  • Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) – Athens, Greece (ATH): Summer seasonal service starting May 21, 2026 (Boeing 787-8)
  • Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) – Buenos Aires, Argentina (EZE): Extended service from May 21 to August 3, 2026 (Boeing 787-8)
  • Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) – Zurich, Switzerland (ZRH): Summer seasonal service from May 21 to August 4, 2026 (Boeing 777-200ER)
  • Miami (MIA) – Milan, Italy (MXP): Year-round service starting March 29, 2026 (Boeing 787-8)
  • Philadelphia (PHL) – Budapest, Hungary (BUD): Summer season service starting May 21, 2026 (Boeing 787-8)
  • Philadelphia (PHL) – Prague, Poland (PRG): Summer season service starting May 21, 2026 (Boeing 787-8)

Tickets for these new routes will be available starting on August 11.

All of these are seasonal, aside from the Miami to Milan flight. Also, note that none of these utilize the new 789P aircraft with American’s new Flagship Suite seats. However, additional deliveries of those 789Ps will help the airline shift other aircraft to operate these new routes.

The Budapest, Hungary flight is the most interesting to me. There is currently no direct service from the country to and from the US, and Philadelphia is an interesting choice. I wonder how much connecting demand there is. I have a friend to visit in Budapest though, so I can’t complain about this new route (I just wish it was from JFK, but you know, slots! 😅).

Additionally, Tokyo will have increased premium capacity from Los Angeles and Dallas. The airline shares that it looks to increase premium capacity by more than 45% next summer from those two airports.

American will begin service with a Boeing 777-300ER on March 29, 2026, from Dallas to Tokyo, and twice daily Boeing 777-200ER from Los Angeles to Tokyo, also starting on March 29, 2026.

Currently, Dallas is serviced by flights AA60/61 with a Boeing 777-200ER, and AA175/176 with a Boeing 787-8. It’s not clear which route will receive the 777-300ER yet, but I’m inclined to think it’s AA175/176 with service to Haneda.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles to Tokyo is operated by flights AA26/27 and AA169/170. Both of these are flown with the Boeing 787-8, meaning the 772s will replace both of these services.

All photos taken by the author.

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  1. PRG and BUD were offered during the Summer of 2020. I had booked DCA-PHL-BUD/PRG-PHL-DCA with the TransAtlantic sectors operated by a 767. We ended up canceling due to COVID so not sure if these flights actually ever flew that Summer.

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