They’re back and bigger and better than ever. American Airlines that is, on the Charlotte-LaGuardia route. When the airline dropped the route in November 2008, it was offering five-time a day service mainly on 37-seat regional jets. When service starts back up this summer, it will again be five-times a day, but on 66-seat regional jets that have a first-class section.
American Airlines currently flies from Charlotte to Dallas-Ft. Worth (five daily 140-seat MD 80 mainline aircraft), Miami (four times a day on 50-seat regional jets), and Chicago O’Hare (currently four times a day on 50-seat regional jets, with a fifth daily flight being added next week).
Bonus observation: Glad American and JetBlue didn’t announce that deal tomorrow as everyone would have thought it was an April’s Fools Day prank. Big, aggressive move by both airlines, which includes a small slot swap (eights pairs at Reagan National and one pair White Plains to JetBlue for 12 pairs at JFK to American). This does reduce the odds of additional CLT-JFK flights on JetBlue in the future. The DOT will absolutely love this deal, as it both increases competition and aircraft size at LaGuardia.
Extra special route watch: IF the US Airways/Delta slot swap gets approved, look for Delta to resume flying CLT-LGA also on larger regional jets fitted with a first-class section. Come to think of it, Delta might do that even if the deal is rejected or continues in limbo.
