American Airlines has gained new routes to Argentina and Brazil, widening the gap between its Latin services and those of Continental, Delta, and United Airlines. On 1 November, American will launch its first flights to Buenos Aires from Dallas/Fort Worth, with three weekly frequencies. This lifts American's Argentina presence to 24 weekly flights.
United opposed this award, arguing that American would use the new flights to block competitors. But the US Department of Transportation disagreed, noting that while United opposed the request, it did not seek the routes for itself.
On 15 December, American will also start two new Miami flights to Brazil - one each to Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Initially, it sought these as non-specific awards but retreated after objections from Continental and Delta.
Source: Airline Business
