American Airlines on May 21, 2026 launched four new routes to unlock even more access between the U.S. and Europe with new nonstop service to Budapest, Hungary (BUD) and Prague (PRG) from Philadelphia (PHL), and to Athens, Greece (ATH), and Zurich (ZRH) from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW).
The inaugural flights took off with fanfare today, coinciding with the first day of American’s highly anticipated record-breaking summer travel season and strengthening American’s European network with up to 70 daily flights from the U.S.
With new service to BUD and PRG, American introduces two brand-new destinations to its global network. Daily seasonal service from PHL to BUD and PRG operates with American’s Boeing 787-8 aircraft. New service from DFW to ATH and ZRH operates with a mix of its Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 777-200ER aircraft.
Fortifying Philadelphia as American’s trans-Atlantic gateway
Summer 2026 marks the first peak travel period with American’s new-and-improved PHL schedule, built for smoother, more reliable journeys and stronger customer connections. The new schedule spreads flights more evenly throughout the day, expanding from six to seven “banks,” or coordinated waves of arrivals and departures — improving flow across the airport from parking, check-in, security and in the terminals.
The investment is already showing strong early results, with improvements in on-time performance and customer connections while bolstering the airline’s best-ever systemwide baggage handling.
This summer, American’s PHL hub offers customers nonstop service to more than 120 destinations worldwide, including 19 destinations across the Atlantic. The airline also recently launched direct service from PHL to Santiago, Dominican Republic (STI).
Reinforcing the power of American’s flagship hub
ATH and ZRH join more than 230 other nonstop destinations accessible from DFW, American’s largest and most connected hub — a hub that plays a crucial role in delivering for customers across American’s global operation this summer.
DFW also recently transformed its schedule, introducing a new 13-bank schedule that more evenly distributes the airline’s more than 930 peak daily departures throughout the day at DFW. In just the first two months since implementing the strategy, the new schedule is already showcasing its benefits to customers at DFW and across the airline by minimizing delays, improving customer connections, reducing gate changes and delivering even better baggage handling performance — which are all contributing to the noticeable increase in customer satisfaction.
“New service to Athens and Zurich is a great example of how American continues to invest in its largest hub with even more opportunities to connect to destinations around the world,” said American’s Senior Vice President of DFW Operations Jim Moses. “We’re also investing in the travel journey with our new 13-bank schedule that sets up our team for success and delivers for our customers — not just at DFW but across our entire airline due to the outsized impact DFW has on our global operation.”
Customers, team members and partners celebrated the inaugural flights from DFW to ATH and ZRH with cultural performances, authentic food and fun.
More nonstop options for a record-breaking summer
Today also marks the start of American’s centennial summer, with the airline set to care for more customers than ever across its largest summer schedule to date — 75 million customers across 750,000 flights.
In addition to the new international routes launched today, American has also recently added more access to Europe from other hubs, including new nonstop service from Miami (MIA) to Milan (MXP), as well as New York (JFK) to Edinburgh, Scotland (EDI).
Caring for our customers
American’s renewed focus on customers has come with several enhancements to the travel experience — from the airport to in flight — this summer.
- Get the redesigned app for your journey: American’s reimagined mobile app continues to evolve to support customer travel needs with easy, self-service tools to manage travel with the ability to rebook, track bags and receive digital vouchers. Plus, the expanded digital wallet integration further helps all customers stay informed with live updates without needing to open the app.
- Enroll in TSA PreCheck® Touchless ID: Make the security process more seamless with TSA PreCheck® Touchless ID, providing participating customers a much faster, touchless identity verification process. The customer opt-in program is now available at 60 airports, including all of American’s hubs.
- Relax in premium lounge spaces: Customers connecting to Europe at PHL can enjoy two of the newest lounge offerings in American’s network at the Flagship® and Admirals Club® lounges in A-West, providing a calm and comfortable space to enhance the airport experience. Lounges are also available at all five terminals when connecting to Europe through DFW, including a Flagship®lounge in Terminal D.
- Enjoy free Wi-Fi, sponsored by AT&T: On nearly every domestic American flight, all AAdvantage® members can enjoy free Wi-Fi, sponsored by AT&T.
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