For those who want to jump on a year-end trip, American airlines may only have tickets to make them ski hideaways and sun-filled escapes.
Americans recently announced an expanded schedule for the winter season. As well as flights to two new destinations in Santa Maria, California and Sun Valley, Idaho, as well as expanding services to Fort Myers, Florida. Missoula, Montana; Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Investing in smaller leisure hubs such as Sun Valley, Santa Maria and Fort Myers is part of the airlines that focus on achieving greater domestic connectivity and placing their carriers as airlines for seasonal leisure travel.
American “choose to dig deeper into small regional airports that show signs of demand from the region during certain windows,” says Katy Nastro, travel expert at Going, a travel app and contract newsletter. “Sun Valley and Fort Myers are two different but similar examples of it. This shows that they are betting on popular skiing and sun locations. Fort Myers, for example, shows the greatest growth in scheduled seats in the year, according to Sillium analysis. Americans are trying to ride a wave of growth and interest.”
New routes for Americans
- Fort Myers’ Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) Southwest to Florida International Airport (RSW): Every day on the Boeing 737 from November 20th to December 3rd, and from December 18th, 2025 to January 6th, 2026.
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Missoula Montana Airport (MSO): Every day with Embraer E175 from December 18th.
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Santa Fe New Mexico Regional Airport (SAF): Every day with the Bombardier CRJ700 from October 6th.
- Ord to SAF: Every day with the CRJ700 from December 18, 2025 to January 6, 2026.
- Santa Maria Public Airport (SMX) from PHX to California: Starting October 16th, I’ve been using the Bombardier CRJ900 twice a day.
- From Friedman Memorial Airport (Sun) in Idaho to Sun Valley: Every day with the CRJ700 from December 18, 2025 to April 6, 2026.
- PHX to the sun: Every day with the CRJ700 from December 18, 2025 to April 6, 2026.
Tickets are already available on all new and extended routes on the American Airlines website and mobile app.
A small airport with great potential
According to Nastro, airlines do not necessarily tend to fly to more regional airports (in fact, many have withdrawn from small airports in recent years). Rather, they choose local airports to meet the growth of interest from travelers.
“People are more intentional on travel than in the pandemic era, so when they head to a new ski destination on the direct route, they’re turning to their profiles. And it’s even better if you’re one of the only careers to fly directly to your destination,” says Nastro.
Sun Valley is a historic resort town with world-class skiing and a thriving art scene, already offering Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. As for why Americans are interested in taking part in the fight, Mike Arnott, aviation expert and spokesman for aviation analytics firm Cirium, said the airlines “seek as much as possible for revenue advantages, especially on routes that are not competitive. It’s convenient for travelling to various resorts because of the new routes.
Meanwhile, Santa Maria, a city on California’s central coast, near Pasolo Bulls, a burgeoning wine region known for its vineyards and nearby access to the Pacific Ocean, is even more unique. Regional airports are currently only available by Allegiant Air.
