American Airlines will add 15 new routes in 2026, with Lincoln, Nebraska becoming the carrier's 240th destination in the United States and its Chicago O'Hare hub scheduled to exceed 500 daily departures next summer.

The Fort Worth-based carrier announced the expansion as it continues a growth push at O'Hare, where it has added service to more than 25 destinations this year and increased frequencies in other markets. The airline plans to extend the ORD network to more than 180 destinations and will increase spring departures by more than 30% versus 2025, exceeding 480 peak daily departures in time for spring break. American says all destinations served from ORD this spring will return next year, a retention record it claims no other hub carrier at the airport matches.

"American is proud to offer unmatched connectivity across the United States. Today, we're furthering our commitment with new routes designed to help customers realize their travel goals in 2026 from important hubs such as Chicago and Phoenix," said Brian Znotins, Senior Vice President of Network and Schedule Planning. "With new routes from places like Lincoln, Nebraska; Abilene, Texas; Columbia, Missouri; and more, we're providing local residents one-stop access to seal business deals, take a dream vacation with friends or family and enjoy soccer matches on the global stage."

The schedule details show a network build weighted toward regional jets. Most of the new routes will operate once daily with Embraer 170/175s or Bombardier CRJ-700/900s, feeding American's hubs at Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas Fort Worth, Miami and Phoenix.

Lincoln will receive three connections: twice-daily CRJ-700 service from Dallas Fort Worth and once-daily service from Chicago starting June 4, 2026, plus a once-daily seasonal CRJ-700 route from Phoenix beginning in winter 2026. American positions Lincoln as a one-stop gateway to international destinations including Athens, Cancun, Rome and Sao Paulo.

Chicago gains three year-round routes of its own. CRJ-700 service to Erie, Pennsylvania and Embraer 170 service to Tri-Cities, Tennessee start May 21, 2026; the Lincoln route follows June 4. American will also extend winter-only service to Santa Fe, New Mexico and Key West, Florida through the summer, running May 21 to September 8. Flights to Hilton Head, Pensacola and Panama City, previously weekend-only, will operate daily between February 12 and September 8.

Phoenix takes seven new routes, the largest single-hub allocation in the announcement. Embraer 175 service to Abilene and McAllen, Texas and to Bozeman, Montana begins June 4 on a year-round or seasonal basis, alongside CRJ-700 flights to Kalispell, Montana at twice weekly from June 19. An Airbus A321neo will fly the seasonal Anchorage route daily from May 21 to September 8 — the only new-route assignment for a mainline narrow-body in the package.

The remaining additions fill gaps at other hubs. Boston gets daily E175 service to Madison year-round from June 18 and seasonal Nantucket flights through September 8. Charlotte connects to Columbia, Missouri daily from June 4. Dallas Fort Worth adds a CRJ-900 route to Roanoke, Virginia. Miami will link to Jackson, Mississippi with once-weekly Saturday E175 service from March 14 to August 1, the shortest commitment in the set.

The announcement builds on recent small-market additions including Carlsbad and Santa Maria, California; Golden Triangle, Mississippi; and Sun Valley, Idaho. In 2026 American will also become the only airline connecting the U.S. with Bimini, Bahamas, and will add Vero Beach, Florida.

American frames the expansion around connectivity scale: it already serves more U.S. airports than any other carrier, its hubs provide access to more than 350 destinations worldwide, and partner airlines extend that reach beyond 1,000 destinations through the oneworld alliance, of which American is a founding member. All ORD flights operate with dual-class aircraft, and the Chicago–London Heathrow route retains Flagship Suite seating, the first city in American's network to receive the premium product.

The bulk of the flying begins in a concentrated window between May 21 and June 19, 2026, giving American a full summer season to test demand on thin routes before the year-round commitments settle into the 2027 schedule.