American Airlines Grows Its European Network

posted: 27 August 2007 05:23 pm ET

: American Airlines will operate 221-seat Boeing 767-300ERs on its new routes from New York JFK to Milan's Malpensa Airport and to Barcelona's El Prat Airport. The airline will begin flying to both cities on May 1, 2008. The 767s will be configured for two-class service and have 30 of American's new business-class seats, which will fold down to become almost lie-flat beds. Credit: American Airlines

American Airlines will add Barcelona in Spain and Milan in Italy to its network next May, when it begins year-round daily flights to the two European cities from New York John F. Kennedy International Airport.

The airline will begin flying to the two major European business destinations on May 1, 2008, with its first return flights taking off from the two cities the following day. It will use two-class Boeing 767-300ER aircraft fitted with 221 passenger seats on the routes. Each aircraft will have 30 of American's new business-class seats that recline to a nearly flat 171-degree angle.

American's two new European routes emphasize the importance the carrier puts on New York as an international gateway, said Dan Garton, American's executive vice president – marketing.

"That commitment equates to 244 daily departures from our New York airports to 59 nonstop destinations, 26 of which are international," he said. American also serves Europe from Boston, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami and Raleigh/Durham.

Barcelona and Milan will be American's 12th and 13th European destinations. The airline now serves 11 European airports, including both London Heathrow and London Gatwick, and will begin flying to London Stansted Airport on Oct. 28 as its 12th European destination.

However, by the time American begins serving Barcelona and Milan, it will have stopped flying to Shannon on Ireland's west coast, which is only a seasonal destination for the airline.

American Airlines is numbering its new JFK-Barcelona flight AA152, with the return flight being numbered AA151. The outbound flight is scheduled to leave New York at 7:05 p.m. and to arrive at Barcelona's El Prat Airport at 9:10 a.m. the next morning. The return flight to New York JFK is scheduled to depart from Barcelona at 11:30 a.m. on May 2 and to arrive at JFK at 2:05 p.m.

The airline's outbound flight to Milan's Malpensa Airport will be numbered AA198 and will depart New York JFK at 5:45 p.m., arriving at Malpensa at 8:10 a.m. the following morning. The return flight, AA199, is scheduled to leave Milan at 10:30 a.m. and to arrive at New York at 1:40 p.m. The time in both cities is usually six hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast time zone.

In addition to launching service to Barcelona and Milan on May 1, American Airlines also will add a second daily flight to London Stansted on Apr. 7. London's third airport, Stansted offers a convenient train link to Liverpool Street Station in the heart of London's major financial district, known locally as "the City." Stansted also is the biggest base for Ryanair, Europe's largest low-fare airline, and offers far more low-fare airline flights to far more international destinations than any of London's three other major airports.

Located near the Italian Alps in the north central part of Italy's Lombardy plain, Milan is a major business, manufacturing and retail city that is the home of Italy's automobile industry as well as being one of the world's top fashion centers.

More than 6 million people live in Barcelona and its environs and the city is responsible for more than 20 percent of Spain's gross domestic product. Nearby Mediterranean beaches and the city's unique architectural tradition -- personified by Antoni Gaudí and Lluís Domènech i Montaner, some of whose works in Barcelona have been designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites -- also make Barcelona a popular leisure and cruise destination.

In addition to being important European business cities, Milan and Barcelona both are famous for their professional soccer teams. Milan's Internazionale and AC Milan -- respectively known as the "negrazzurri" and the "rossoneri," because of the black/blue and red/black stripes of their respective team shirts -- are frequent finalists in the European Champions League competition.

So too is FC Barcelona (simply known as "Barca" to soccer enthusiasts everywhere), which boasts the world's most recognizable soccer player in Ronaldinho. The young Brazilian, whose toothy smile and flowing dreadlocks are famous just about everywhere on the planet, is generally reckoned to be the world's greatest exponent of soccer skills.