American Airlines drops three routes amid Middle East tensions and weak demand

American Airlines announced the cancellation of three routes this year: a domestic link to Santa Maria, California, a short Phoenix-Tijuana connection, and its long-haul Philadelphia-Doha nonstop flight. The Doha service, a 14.5-hour, 6,798-mile journey, was dropped because of escalating Middle East conflict and weak financial results. The Tijuana route, launched in early 2024 to serve family and business travel, failed to attract enough riders and was terminated after less than a year.

Qatar Airways resumed daily nonstop flights between Philadelphia and Doha, becoming the sole carrier on that corridor. While American continues to serve several Mexican destinations from Phoenix, it plans to add new international routes to Porto, Vienna and Reykjavik in 2027.