American’s exec discusses new route strategy

American Airlines’ new strategy for using its hubs — and sometimes bypassing them in favor of direct flights from smaller cities — exemplifies more flexible thinking airlines have adopted as a result of the pandemic. “The thing that we do better than anybody in the world is connecting people from all the small cities of the Americas into the global marketplace, whether that city is Abilene, Texas, or Bogota, or whatever the case might be,” said Chief Revenue Officer Vasu Raja.