Only a few weeks before the epidemic, American Airlines announced one of its most eye-catching long-distance routes; today, almost three years later, it's possible that the service will never actually launch.
The 8,078-mile journey, which was planned to connect Seattle with Bangalore, India, was supposed to take off in October 2020.
Just a few weeks after the airline's sensational route announcement, the coronavirus ended up shutting down the world's aviation industry, and American never went ahead with the Bangalore route.
Instead, it consistently postponed the premiere service for weeks at a time.
Aviation analysts have questioned whether American would ever actually fly the route, and as time passes, it seems less and less likely that it will.
As part of its most recent network update, the Fort Worth-based carrier discovered that it had suddenly dropped the Bangalore service from all upcoming schedules.
Therefore, you are unable to buy a ticket for an American flight to Bangalore at the present, and passengers who already have bookings will be given the option of changing their accommodations or receiving a refund.
When asked if American would ever start operating flights to Bangalore, a spokeswoman for the airline responded, "We pulled SEA-BLR to open this weekend since we're still wanting to fly it sometime in the future."
The potential launch date for American's flights to Bangalore is unknown.
The West Coast international partnership between American Airlines and Alaska Airlines was expected to facilitate this new India service.
A new long-haul route from Seattle would be added by American as part of the agreement, and Alaska would provide domestic connectivity to strengthen the feed.
However, the India route has performed differently. American has already moved on with the launch of new nonstop service from Seattle to London in March 2021.
It was primarily created for business travelers, some of whom have not increased their levels of international travel to pre-pandemic levels.
Additionally, the nonstop to Seattle may no longer be commercially viable due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing airspace limitations.
It's interesting to note that the Bangalore route was scheduled to be American's first venture into India since 2012, but the airline instead added a new route from New York to Delhi in collaboration with JetBlue Airways, which started in November 2021 and has since been operating every day.
While American Airlines' plans for Bangalore appear to be waning, rival United Airlines is still considering adding flights to this Indian city in the near future.
The Chicago-based airline made the announcement that it would begin operating flights to Bangalore from its San Francisco hub in September 2020.
Additionally subject to numerous delays, United is presently slated to start service on that route on March 24, 2023.
Who knows if that happens, but it's feasible that United will now follow American's example and abandon its Bangalore aspirations as well.
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