American Airlines terminates Dubrovnik service indefinitely


American Airlines has confirmed it will not be resuming operations between Philadelphia and Dubrovnik next year, noting the route has been terminated indefinitely. “Covid-19 has forced us to revaluate our network. American will have a significantly smaller international network in the year ahead, but we are using this opportunity to hit reset and create a network using the strength of our strategic hubs that we can build and grow upon and be profitable on in this new environment”, American’s Chief Revenue Officer, Vasu Raja, said. The carrier was to operate daily seasonal flights to Dubrovnik this year, following last year’s successful launch, which marked the resumption of scheduled nonstop flights between the United Stated and Croatia after more than 25 years.

In response to the prolonged downturn in international travel, American expects summer 2021 long haul international capacity to be down 25% versus 2019. As the airline begins planning for next summer, American said that “several routes that were once popular leisure destinations are expected to exhibit decreased demand”. Brian Znotins, American’s Vice President of Network Planning, said, “American has spent the past few years right-sizing its international network, discontinuing underperforming routes while adding leisure destinations like Dubrovnik and Prague. Now, as demand has significantly diminished due to Covid-19, we have to be nimble, creating the network that our customers desire”. American will continue to offer connections to Dubrovnik next year through its Oneworld alliance partners British Airways via London and Iberia through Madrid.

American Airlines initially scheduled the resumption of its Philadelphia to Dubrovnik service for June 2021 with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. However, as Mr Znotins previously explained, “A flight such as the one from Philadelphia to Dubrovnik saw a huge increase in traffic in recent years, partially because it was a popular filming location for the HBO series Game of Thrones. Airlines ramped up flights to those types of destinations partially because traditional launching point airports in Europe and Asia were full. Until traffic recovers, international travellers will likely have to make a stop in London, Madrid, Rome or Milan before continuing on to Dubrovnik”. Last year, American Airlines handled 17.782 passengers during its four-month service run to Croatia, with an average cabin load factor of 83%.

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:01

    People don't understand how bad the situation is on the coast. Hvar has just 66 tourists while last year there were over 5.500! Numbers are down by 96%! It will take years for these numbers to recover.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:13

      Actually you don't understand how critical the situation in America is.
      EU just announced banning US citizens from entering because of the soaring Covid numbers. The unemployment rate is plummeting at extreme levels and it's not looking any good.
      Just forget about 2020 when it comes to Slavic summertime.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:15

      Slavic summertime? What are you on about..

      Delete
    3. Nemjee09:19

      I think the ban is a political move, I mean they are allowing Chinese to enter as long as China allows Europeans in. Corona is exploding in China right now and on top of that there is a new swine flu virus going around.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:23

      US does not allow EU passengers in either, so I don't see the concern.

      And Nemjee, can you ease up with the adjectives like "exploding". There were 3 cases in China yesterday and 3 cases the day before. I don't know what word you would use to describe the number of cases in your country then if this is an explosion for you.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:35

      Namjee, there were 3 cases in China on each of the last 2 days. What are you talking about???
      Fake news.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:37

      what is the situation in other places, like Pula and Split? In fact, I would assume that most tourists in Croatia come by care and not by plane, thus there should be less of an impact.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous15:33

      "Exploding"? "Political move"? EU prolonged the ban for countries where the epidemic is NOT under control, and that's the case of USA, Russia and Brazil, among others. China on the other way has the epidemic under control and very few cases. The decision is just common sense, so well done EU.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:03

    Shame :(

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous09:07

    This is really unfortunate and a big loss for Dubrovnik.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous09:07

    Is there more of a chance now for Zagreb to get flights from the States from next year?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:09

      You are kidding, right?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:10

      No

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:16

      ZAG was not introduced in the best times for aviation as US carriers estimated it won't be profitable for them. Instead of it only DBV was introduced directly from USA and we see now that even that route has been indefinitely cancelled.
      There is no point talking about direct flights from USA to ZAG at all at least in next 2 years

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:28

      Circumstances change, as can be seen now.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:36

      Yes, very easily it can become worse, not better

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:09

    It seems that aviation will suffer the most in Croatia from all ex-Yu countries.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:10

      Aviation is suffering all over the world.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:11

      I was talking about ex-Yu countries.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:14

      You will be surprised, but that is not the case. Not to mention that last week Croatia Airlines was in the top 50 European airlines with the most daily departures. There were no other ex-Yu airlines on the list that was published by Euroctonrol.

      Delete
    4. Nemjee09:18

      I think that's because Croatia relies the most on foreigners to boost its airport numbers. Others, like Serbia, are mostly about outbound demand so it's different. Recovery will be much faster than at airports where there is a huge reliance on tourism. For example, tomorrow BEG will have the busiest day since corona with, I think, 46 departures. Italy was also resumed yesterday with flights to Milan (55 and 87 passengers).

      This summer will be brutal for airports along the Adriatic coast and I suppose for Ohrid as well. Others should do fine in H2.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:34

      I am not surprised as in that list you can find all domestic OU departures which increase is measured, but it has nothing to do with European destinations.

      After all, we all know that Croatia Airlines' market share in Croatia is very low so it is actually not good indicator of conectivity. Additionally, SOF and TGD have been cancelled.

      We saw that there are at this moment no wide-body destinations at all in Croatia (cancelled flights Canada and USA, and most probably EK to DXB), Iberia is not returning to ZAG, Lufthansa does not fly to FRA anymore, LX and OK stopped flying to ZAG even before the crisis, even FZ does not return temporarily, countless number of cancelled charters to Adriatic coast etc. I wouldn't call it good.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:01

      But again even with coronavirus, the most new routes this summer are to Croatia and the coast.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:31

      Recovery is clearly gathering speed across Europe. Yesterday there were the most flights since 20th of March in Europe.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous10:37

      We see it also from today's article.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous10:49

      Tomorow there will be 23 daily departures from Split and in Friday 35.

      Delete
  6. American Airlines is one of the US airlines which might not make it through Covid.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous23:47

      AA is also terminating BUD to PHL and ORD. Definitely not a good year for Budapest.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:12

    I was looking forward to seeing their Dreamliners in DBV :(

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous09:17

    “Covid-19 has forced us to revaluate our network. American will have a significantly smaller international network in the year ahead, but we are using this opportunity to hit reset and create a network using the strength of our strategic hubs that we can build and grow upon and be profitable on in this new environment”

    ==> I don´t know how you can read that the flight has been indefinetely cancelled? Or is there another statetment from Mr. Raja?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:19

      indefinitely = adverb, for an unlimited or unspecified period of time.

      Use a dictionary.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:23

      It's on the list of American destinations not returning next year or any time soon.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:26

    Like with the global financial crisis, this downturn will last for years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:43

      Leisure airports which rely on seasonal traffic will particularly struggle.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:44

      ^ I agree. It's the outcome of this crisis. QR has also removed Dubrovnik for next year. There will be lower demand for expensive leisure travel.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:43

    Expected

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous09:43

    Unfortunate

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous09:44

    Very difficult times for DBV and City of Dubrovnik ahead :(

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous09:45

    Shocking how things have changed so quickly.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous09:45

    I wonder if the people of dubrovnik who have complained over the amount of tourists visiting are happy now..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:52

      Definitely not. Locals didn't hope for a global pandemic to wipe out tourism. But had you been to Dubrovnik in July or August, you would know why people wanted to have a reduced tourism volume, especially from cruise ships.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:40

      Did they want also reduced income?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:33

      Visited Dubrovnik in 2018 and 2019. As being a person ,who is second generation,Croatian background,2018 was my first time back since 1985. In regards to the tourists in Dbv,yes it is very crowded. I find that the Croatian charm, is not there.To the people we are just tourists. I my self prefer the smaller areas. But I will say my favorite is the Zadar region.

      This pandemic, is a great time now for the airlines to re evaluate their services. Look at the routes that they will focus to serve. We must remember, some won't be coming back. In Croatia, in my opinion, it would be great for CTN and even TDR, set their eyes on which charter destinations they can serve in 2021. Sane goes for the other national carriers in the former YUGO. The airlines should now focus on the future prospects, so that others don't come into the region too quickly. Just my view.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous09:47

    One of the best routes in ex-Yu.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:05

      No doubt. Having the world's largest airline fly to DBV was a treat. Really sad what has happened. This summer would have been amazing otherwise.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous09:50

    They have suspended many routes.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous10:04

    Well if nothing, DBV airport has a new website. Looks quite good.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous10:25

    This is an understandable decision. With a global recession looming, many people will think twice before spending an expensive vacation abroad, especially those from the US.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous10:26

    Hopefully we see more BA and IB flights next year then because of this.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous10:26

    American Airlines is in survival mode. Many think they won't make this crisis.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:04

      Of course they will survive. They always do and they have faced some difficult periods.

      Delete
    2. Just like Pan Am and TWA survived.

      Delete
  21. In Belgrade they see this and now there is an increased interest from Serbians to fly to Dubrovnik. I know at least 10 people who are flying to Dubrovnik from Belgrade who haven't gone in years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:02

      There is increased interest because American has stopped flying???

      Delete
  22. Anonymous13:03

    As already predicted on here.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous13:11

    "American will continue to offer connections to Dubrovnik next year through its Oneworld alliance partners British Airways via London and Iberia through Madrid." It is imposibile to offer any connections via London because there are no AA flights to Gatwick, only BA flies to JFK. So only option will be via MAD.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:22

      Nisi cuo za code share?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous14:40

      British Airways iz Dubrovnika ne leti za Heathrow već za manji Gatwick odakle lete samo za leisure destinacije. Linija prema Americi praktički nema osim one na JFK sa Britishem. American uopće ne leti za Gatwick već samo za Heathrow. Presjedati na Gatwicku do Amerike sa OneWorldom je nemoguće.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:57

      British Airways moves Dubrovnik flights to Heathrow
      https://www.exyuaviation.com/2020/07/british-airways-moves-dubrovnik-flights.html

      Delete
  24. Anonymous13:20

    Its unfortunate because these were the most lucrative customers for Dubrovnik.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous13:21

    What other long haul markets have good prospects for DBV flights?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:46

      Canada and Korea

      Delete
  26. Anonymous16:49

    American Airlines is experiencing a lot of issues at the moment:

    American Airlines's workforce is 20,000-people too big for its upcoming fall schedule that was reduced due to the drop in demand caused by the coronavirus outbreak, the company reportedly told its staff on Thursday.

    According to the memo seen by CNBC, the carrier's CEO Doug Parker and its President Robert Isom said: "We currently anticipate having 20% to 30% - or more than 20,000 - more team members on payroll than we need to operate our schedule this fall." Due to the issue, the airline asked its employees to take buyouts or opt for early retirement so that the company wouldn't have to resort to layoffs, the news organization stated.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous21:07

    Croatia should use the crisis to open up for tourists from the Serbian market .
    Montenegro will probably the whole year be closed for Serbian nationals .
    These just want to visit the beaches over a prolonged weekend or over the summer holidays without flying for hours to some exotic destination which are not reachable by bus or car in case of emergency .
    This summer Tivat alone could have had eight to nine daily flights from Belgrade, that amount of frequencies could easily get shifted over to the Croatian coastline .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:41

      Serbs already have a destination you described and it's called Greece where hundreds of thousands of Serbs go each year.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous18:18

      If you Greeks want to be friends with Croatia you have to share your Serbian guests with us .

      Delete
    3. Anonymous07:56

      I doubt Greeks want to be friends with Croats, if they did then they would have bought OU. ;)

      Delete
  28. Anonymous09:40

    Just to put things into perspective. Last June DBV handled 415.876 passengers in June, this year they handled 10.592. That's how bad the situation is.

    ReplyDelete
  29. It must be painful for Croats to see 20% of their GDP evaporate just like that.

    However whole Balkan is suffering as much. Tourism/Diaspora have an identic impact and it this would have been much more managable if the Govs and citizens had a little maturity and conscience.
    Covid infections would be much lower and the cashflow wouldn't be cut off drastically as it has...

    ReplyDelete
  30. An American15:52

    As an American, I can say that Croatia and its coast are stunningly beautiful, yet Croatia itself for what it offers is WAY overpriced. Two years ago when I was talking to one of the Croats, a restaurant owner from Korcula, he told us that the season was rather short compared to Greece or Turkey. On the other hand, once the wars in ex-Yugoslavia were over, it took a little while to get back all those tourists who had been coming before. Basically he was trying to explain and justify that Croatia has been using its 5, 10 or 15 minutes of its popularity and its trendy fame to recuperate for all those lost years. Please let me emphasize that the Dalmatian coast is absolutely splendid, yet the mass tourism with all the Ryanair and EasyJet etc. crowds makes the streets of the cities like Dubrovnik look like a shopping mall or an amusement park invaded by some cruise ship passengers... For those who wants to come, they will do it anyhow. Americans were coming to Croatia without any direct flights and they will continue to do so ONCE the economic situation is back to its *NEW* normal. Unfortunately, as someone mentioned above, we are very far away for it and for now we will be happy going to the Caribbean.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

EX-YU Aviation News does not tolerate insults, excessive swearing, racist, homophobic or any other chauvinist remarks or provocative posts with the intention of creating further arguments. A full list of comment guidelines can be found here. Thank you for your cooperation.