American Airlines Launches New Cross-Country Route

This might be one of the longest flights American Airlines will try in the continental United States.

American announced it will fly from Portland, OR in the northwest to the southeast in Miami, FL.

The move appears to be a direct reaction to Alaska Airlines, which recently announced it was going to fly the same route. It is one of four new routes for American, which added two out of Reagan National Airport in Washington DC.

“The new nonstop service will complement American’s network of more than 140 destinations from MIA and opens convenient, one-stop access [for PDX-originating passengers] to the largest network of destinations in the Caribbean and Latin America from the United States,” American said in response to Aviation Week.

Miami has been one of American’s key hubs along with Charlotte and Chicago. American uses Miami as a gateway to Latin American destinations.

American will start the Miami-Portland route in November of this year, 12 days before Alaska Airlines offers the route. It will also start a route on the same day, November 5, from Reagan National to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport in Florida. A month earlier, in October of this year, the airline will start to service the route between Reagan National and Milwaukee.

“American is excited to offer more service to Reagan National Airport with the additions of Fort Lauderdale and Milwaukee,” American Senior VP-Network Planning Brian Znotins says in a statement. “These new markets join our robust DCA network of more than 85 destinations.”