Irish News

American Airlines expands schedule of flights from Dallas to Ireland

American Airlines airplane, soon flying daily to Dublin.

Photo courtesy of American Airlines

Dallas-to-Dublin, here we come: American Airlines is expanding its flights to Ireland by launching year-round service between Dallas and Dublin.

This is an upgrade on the current scenario which has been seasonal, with flights from Dallas to Dublin available only during the summer.

The service will begin in October.

American Airlines is also expanding its service between Dublin and Charlotte Douglas International Airport, where it has daily flights during the summer; in 2024, those will commence earlier, on March 5.

According to a release, the expansion is in response to high demand from passengers on both ends of the transatlantic routes. The move not only strengthens the connectivity between Ireland and the United States but also presents opportunities for seamless travel to other destinations in Europe.

Tourism Ireland is totally on board, says their North America head Alison Metcalfe. In 2019, the most recent "average" year prior to the pandemic, more than 1.9 million travelers from the U.S. visited Ireland, and things are back on the upswing.

"Texas is a major growth market for Irish tourism, with an increasing number of Texans choosing to vacation on the island of Ireland," Metcalfe says. Having a year-round service provides a great opportunity for visitors to experience the best of what the island of Ireland has to offer during the Fall and Winter seasons."

The country hosts tourist-friendly festivals and events year-round including the Derry Halloween and Púca festivals which celebrate the origins of Halloween in Ireland, plus the Dublin Theatre Festival, Cork Jazz Festival, Belfast International Arts Festival, and Temple Bar TradFest.

"The US market is a key source market for Irish tourism and we recently opened a new office in San Francisco to expand our marketing footprint across the Western USA region including states such as Texas, Colorado, and Arizona," Metcalfe says.

Dublin is also a "gateway" to other cities Ireland: 90 minutes from Belfast, three hours from Cork, two hours from Galway.

transportation

Summer travel

American Airlines predicts record-breaking summer 2026 travel season

Photo courtesy of American Airlines

American Airlines expects a record summer 2026.

Summer vacation travelers, buckle in: Fort Worth-based American Airlines is forecasting the busiest summer travel season in its 100-year history.

According to a release, American expects to fly 75 million passengers on 750,000 flights during its summer travel period, which runs from May 21 through September 8. That would eclipse the airline’s previous summer record set in 2019, they say.

The season begins with Memorial Day weekend, when the airline expects more than 4.2 million customers across more than 40,000 flights from May 21-26. The busiest travel day during that stretch is expected to be Friday, May 22.

The airline’s busiest day of the summer is projected to be July 17, with 6,995 flights, followed closely by July 10 with 6,991 flights.

Not to worry. AA says it has spent the offseason preparing for the busy season by performing maintenance, adjusting schedules, and adding staff in key markets.

One major operational change affects Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, AA's largest hub. The airline recently introduced a new 13-bank schedule at DFW, which the release says has reduced delays and fewer missed connections, and improved baggage handling.

American's release also highlights several upgrades that are rolling out this summer, including:

Free Wi-Fi for all AAdvantage members, sponsored by AT&T
New app tools for rebooking, bag tracking, and digital vouchers
Samsung Wallet boarding passes
Expanded Connect Assist technology for tight connections
TSA PreCheck Touchless ID at 60 airports, including all American hubs
One Stop Security between DFW and London Heathrow Airport

“From the way we've restructured our hubs to the investments we've made in scheduling, our more than 130,000 team members have built an operation that's not only reliable and resilient, but ready for the summer peak demand,” says David Seymour, American’s chief operating officer, in the release. “It’s an operation built with our customers in mind and one we look forward to delivering for the millions of customers counting on us this summer.”

The release says American is also adding new international routes this summer, including flights from Philadelphia to Budapest and Prague, plus new long-haul service from DFW to Athens and Zurich and from Miami to Milan.

“This summer is an exciting milestone for American as we plan to welcome a record number of customers during our centennial year,” says Heather Garboden, American’s chief customer officer.

transportation airport summer american airlines