The Battle Just Intensified: American ‘Adds’ Five New Routes Amid Hub Rivalry with United

by Krish Patel

American Airlines and United have been involved in a major hub rivalry for supremacy, which recently intensified after the former announced five new routes. In an attempt to compete with United, American added these new flights to expand its domestic network from two of its major hubs: Los Angeles and Chicago.

Technically, all five routes are resumptions for American. The airline’s three routes from its Chicago O’Hare hub include:

• Allentown, PA

• Columbia, SC

• Maui, HI

The first two destinations will see the Embraer 170 and are scheduled to operate year-round starting May 21, 2026. Meanwhile, the Maui route will be a seasonal winter service that sees the Boeing 787-8. 

American only serves a handful of transatlantic routes from Chicago during the winter months, so utilizing available widebody aircraft for longer domestic routes is profitable for the airline. Maui is a destination United also serves from its O’Hare hub, so AA is fueling the competition for fares and seat availability.

For a while now, both major U.S. carriers have been fighting for supremacy in Chicago, though United has more routes and gates than American. Through a recent reallocation process, the former obtained five more gates in O’Hare. 

It’s not just Chicago where American is trying to expand operations at United’s expense. The OneWorld Alliance member also announced the resumption of two routes from its Los Angeles hub. 

Starting April 7 of this year, American will resume daily service from L.A. to Cleavland (CLE) and Washington Dulles (IAD). Launching flights between LAX and Dulles was a deliberate aim at United since they operate a crucial hub in Washington.