Just over four months since launching one of its newest routes, the carrier plans to reduce capacity in this market.
Starting in August, the airline will downgrade its new service from Washington’s Reagan National to San Antonio. American previously planned to use a 190-seat Airbus A321 in this market.
On Aug. 6, the airline will instead begin using a 172-seat Boeing 737-800 on the daily route between the two cities. This change was made in a previous Cirium Diio schedule update.
An American Airbus A321 landing in Charlotte.
(Photo: | William Derrickson)
This route was allocated
as part of the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2024
. Congress allowed airlines to apply for one of five additional non-perimeter round-trip slots.
In December, the Department of Transportation awarded this highly coveted D.C. to San Antonio service to American. At 1,380 miles, the route goes beyond Reagan National’s 1,250-mile perimeter limit.
In
a late-2024 news release
, the carrier said it planned to use an A321 on the route. But with the downgrade to a 737, this service will see 18 fewer seats per day in each direction.
As of now, this aircraft modification is set to stay in place until at least mid-February 2026.
A representative from the airline verified the modification on Friday, mentioning “a certain effect” on travel at their Washington facility.
during a reduction in governmental requests
.
“The spokesperson noted that no routes have been cancelled; however, we’ve made slight modifications to the types of aircraft serving these routes,” he stated.
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