American Airlines Cuts Service at JFK, LaGuardia

American Airlines is cutting service to 18 cities served by its routes to and from JFK and LaGuardia, including cities in Canada and the Caribbean.

The service cuts begin early in January 2022.

Photo: American Airlines

There also are routes being dropped at other airports, but the NYC cuts are the largest - 18 of 27 routes being eliminated.

If you are planning to travel to any of these destinations next year - from either JFK or LaGuardia - American Airlines no longer will get you there.

Montreal
Toronto
San Jose, Costa Rica
Boston
Charleston
Orlando
Philadelphia
San Antonio

From LaGuardia, the airline will cut spring and summer flights to Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard, Myrtle Beach, Asheville, Savannah, Pensacola, and Traverse City.

See our guide how to get to and from NYC area airports JFK, LaGuardia and Newark.

“Over the weekend, American optimized its flying schedule to better connect customers with the destinations most important to them,” an American Airlines spokesman told Travel + Leisure.

“Part of that process resulted in the winding down of a handful of routes, including our dedicated shuttle service. We’re proactively reaching out to customers affected by these changes to offer alternate travel arrangements.”

According to T+L, the decision to cut routes comes after the airline launched a new class of cabin service, Main Select.

These higher-priced fares are fully refundable, offer free same-day flight changes, and allow passengers to choose any available seat in the main cabin (including those that come with extra legroom and complimentary drinks).

The new fare class will only be available on certain heavily-trafficked routes, such as those passing through New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles.

Beyond New York, the carrier is also cutting these routes, including

Charlotte to Toledo,
Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to Charlottesville,
Philadelphia to Baltimore/Washington,
Phoenix to Vancouver.

It also comes on the heels of American’s new partnership with JetBlue, which was introduced earlier this year. JetBlue services several of the cities American is cutting.