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American slashes service following merger with US Airways

Jan. 21, 2014, Dallas, Tx. - American Airlines and US Airways will drop year-round, daily nonstop flights from Washington's Reagan National Airport to Detroit, San Diego and 15 other cities because of the deal they made to win government approval of their merger.


January 21, 2014  By The Associated Press

They will also end nonstop flights from New York's LaGuardia Airport
to Atlanta, Cleveland and Minneapolis but will add service from
LaGuardia to 10 other cities.

 

The combined company, American Airlines Group Inc., announced the changes Wednesday.

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American and US Airways agreed in November to give up the space at
Reagan and LaGuardia and a few gates at five other major airports. In
exchange, the U.S. Justice Department dropped an antitrust lawsuit that
threatened to derail their merger, which created the world's biggest
airline operator.

 

Slots at Reagan and New York-area airports are limited, making them
valuable when they become available. Southwest Airlines and Virgin
America won the rights to buy the LaGuardia slots. An announcement is
expected soon on who will get the Reagan slots and what cities they'll
serve with them.

 

American and US Airways will remain major carriers at Reagan and LaGuardia.

 

Henry Harteveldt, a travel-industry analyst for consulting firm
Hudson Crossing, noted that American is pulling out of several nonstop
routes also flown by rival Delta Air Lines Inc., including Reagan to
Atlanta, Detroit and Minneapolis and LaGuardia to Atlanta. At the same
time, American will add a second daily nonstop between Washington and
Los Angeles, and start new service to New York from secondary markets.

 

"This is American creating a truce with Delta," he said. "It's a smart move … where you're not as strong, move your assets."

 

American's chief marketing officer, Andrew Nocella, said the changes
were designed to minimize the effect of slot losses on service to
smaller cities. He said the new combined airline "will fly more
customers to more places than ever before."

 

Besides Detroit and San Diego, daily nonstops by American and US
Airways will end between Reagan and Minneapolis; Montreal; Augusta and
Savannah, Ga.; Fayetteville and Jacksonville, N.C.; Fort Walton Beach,
Pensacola and Tallahassee, Fla.; Islip, N.Y.; Little Rock, Ark.; Myrtle
Beach, S.C.; Nassau, Bahamas; and Omaha, Neb. It will switch from
year-round to only seasonal flying to Fort Myers, Fla.

 

The company said dates for the changes would be announced in coming
weeks. Travelers in those cities will have to fly through another
American or US Airways hub city — or take another airline —to reach
Washington.

Service will be added beginning April 1 between LaGuardia and
Charlottesville, Norfolk, Richmond and Roanoke, Va.; Little Rock;
Dayton, Ohio; Louisville, Ky.; Greensboro and Wilmington, N.C.; and
Knoxville, Tenn.

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