American Airlines expands its presence in Brazil

FORT WORTH, Texas – American Airlines today announced changes to its spring and summer schedule that will expand the airline’s presence in Brazil. Beginning in December, American’s route between Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) and Sao Paulo (GRU) will operate with the new state-of-the-art Boeing 777-300ER, making Brazil the first market for the new aircraft. Further emphasizing American’s commitment to Latin America, the airline will increase its service between DFW and Sao Paulo beginning in June.

In 2010, American announced plans to order the Boeing 777-300ER, demonstrating a continuation of the airline’s efforts to enhance its fleet and become more fuel efficient. American is the first U.S. airline to order and take delivery of the 777-300ER. The new aircraft is designed to enhance the customer experience and includes fully lie-flat First and Business Class seats, plus seating plans that will allow American to offer a premium product in the Main Cabin and Wi-Fi capability to keep customers connected while traveling internationally.

American will also increase the total number of weekly flights between DFW and Sao Paulo from seven times per week to 12 times per week beginning June 14. Also on June 14, flights from Miami to Brasilia (BSB) and to Belo Horizonte (CNF) will increase from five and three times per week, respectively, to daily.

In addition to the increased service between DFW and Sao Paulo, American will launch new service that connects its Miami hub to Manaus, Brazil beginning in June.

“We recognize the opportunity of the Latin American market. Our increased network announcements, along with the deployment of the 777-300ER, emphasizes American’s dedication to the region,” said Virasb Vahidi, American’s Chief Commercial Officer. “We are devoted to our global network strategy and plan to continue capitalizing on international opportunities like those announced today to strengthen our network and provide great customer service.”

Manaus will be the seventh destination served by American in Brazil. American currently offers more routes between the two countries than any other airline. The flight will be operated on Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 160 seats, including 16 Business Class seats and 144 seats in the Main Cabin. The 737-800 interior offers several unique features, including larger overhead bins that hold more bags than standard overhead bins. The aircraft also includes additional features such as sculpted sidewalls providing customers a feeling of spaciousness, updated window reveals making the windows appear larger and brighter, and longer-lasting LED lighting to enhance the customer experience. The route is currently scheduled four times per week, and customers can book travel beginning Jan. 29. Yesterday, American filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation for authority to begin daily service in this market.