American Airlines Adds 8,000 Seats, 50 More Flights in the Caribbean

American Airlines has added more than 8,000 seats and over 50 additional flights to the Eastern Caribbean since service resumed on Jan. 4, positioning the carrier as what it called the region’s largest source of incremental airlift following the FAA-mandated airspace closure this past weekend, a shutdown which expired early Sunday.

The airline said it has deployed extra flights, larger aircraft and new interisland service to move stranded travelers and restore connectivity across multiple destinations, making it the single biggest contributor to capacity recovery in the Eastern Caribbean during the reopening period.

Even before airspace restrictions were lifted early Sunday morning, American’s operations and network teams were already preparing for an accelerated restart, according to the company.

The carrier began operating additional sections immediately after service resumed, supplementing its scheduled flights with upgraded aircraft to increase available seating.

“Even before the airspace was reopened early Sunday morning, teams from across American were hard at work to recover our Eastern Caribbean operation once we had the green light,” said David Seymour, the airline’s Chief Operating Officer, in a statement provided to Caribbean Journal. He said teams worked around the clock to add flights, reposition aircraft and expand capacity in response to customer demand.

On Jan. 4, American operated 23 extra flights to and from the region, in addition to its regular schedule, while also upgrading aircraft on multiple routes to provide additional seats. The following day, the airline added 22 more extra flights, continuing the surge in lift as airports and airspace operations stabilized.

Jan. 5 also marked the return of interisland flying operated by Envoy Air, American’s wholly owned regional carrier. For the first time in more than a decade, American connected Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands with service routed through San Juan, restoring a key regional link and allowing additional passengers to access expanded mainland service.

The airline also deployed its largest aircraft, including the Boeing 777-300, on select extra sections to maximize capacity.

The recovery push continued on Jan. 6, when American added seven additional flights between Miami and several Eastern Caribbean destinations, including Antigua, Anguilla, Dominica and the British Virgin Islands. The airline said it will continue upgrading aircraft on these routes in the days ahead to further increase seat availability as demand normalizes.

The expanded schedule underscores the critical role of U.S. carriers in restoring Eastern Caribbean connectivity following this weekend’s airspace shutdown, particularly for islands that rely heavily on Miami and San Juan as primary gateways.