Summer is heating up, but American Airlines is already making winter vacation plans.
The carrier has announced an expanded schedule for the winter season, with seven new routes and two new destinations.
The two new destinations are Santa Maria Airport (SMX) in Santa Maria, California, and Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN) in Sun Valley, Idaho.
“American is focused on giving our customers the most options to pick the perfect vacation destination, and now there are even more ways to turn travel dreams into reality” Jason Reisinger, American’s Managing Director of Global Network Planning, said in a statement.
From Sun Valley, the airline will add services to its hubs at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). Santa Maria will get a nonstop route from Phoenix.
There will also be expanded service to Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in Fort Myers, Florida; Missoula Montana Airport (MSO) in Missoula, Montana; and Santa Fe Regional Airport (SAF) in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
American Airlines’ new routes include:
- Fort Myers to Phoenix: Daily on a Boeing 737 from Nov. 20 through Dec. 3 and from Dec. 18 through Jan. 6, 2026.
- Missoula to Chicago: Daily on an Embraer E175 from Dec. 18 (American currently flies this route seasonally during the summer).
- Santa Fe to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX): Daily on a Bombardier CRJ700 from Oct. 6.
- Santa Fe to Chicago: Daily on a CRJ700 from Dec. 18 through Jan. 6, 2026.
- Santa Maria to Phoenix: Twice daily on a Bombardier CRJ900 from Oct. 16.
- Sun Valley to Chicago: Daily on a CRJ700 from Dec. 18 through April 6, 2026.
- Sun Valley to Phoenix: Daily on a CRJ700 from Dec. 18 through April 6, 2026.
Ticket sales for the new routes began June 30, so travelers can start thinking about winter plans now.
Most of the new destinations are popular beach or mountain destinations already served by popular airlines. Santa Maria, however, is only served by Allegiant Air with twice-weekly flights to Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas, per The Points Guy.
United was the last major airline to serve Santa Maria, with regional flights to San Francisco that ended in 2016, according to schedule data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
On the Chicago-Missoula and Chicago-Sun Valley routes, American’s only competition is United.
American Airlines has been trying to get into the market of smaller domestic destinations in recent years, having added Provo Airport (PVU) in Utah in 2024 and McClellan-Palomar Airport (CLD) in Carlsbad, California, earlier this year.
Focusing on smaller leisure hubs is part of the carrier’s goal to be seen as the go-to airline for seasonal leisure travel.
American has “opted to dig more into smaller regional airports that show signs of demand to and from the area during specific windows,” Katy Nastro, a travel expert at Going, a travel app and deals newsletter, told AFAR.
“Sun Valley and Fort Myers are two different but similar examples of just that. This showcases their bet on popular skiing and sun locations. For example, Fort Myers has shown the biggest growth in scheduled seats year over year, according to Cirium analytics. American is trying to ride that wave of growth and interest.”
