Summary
- The airline’s shortest connection is between Chicago O’Hare and Milwaukee.
- While American Eagle’s regional jets are indispensable in the top ten shortest markets, American Eagle’s widebody aircraft are also present there.
- Historical data shows that even shorter routes were served in the past.
American Airlines has the shortest total leg length of the so-called Big Three airlines in the USA, partly because it offers the fewest long-haul routes. Its typical flight is only 720 nautical miles (1,333 km). In contrast, 
Delta Air Lines is 826 nautical miles (1,530 km) and 
United Airlines is 921 nautical miles (1,706 km). Regional units critical for connectivity are included in all three cases.
The 10 shortest routes from American
I examined the oneWorld Membership 1,200+ routes between September and December 2024 Use Cirium data to find the answer. The results are shown on the map and table below based on great circle distance. As always, the order may change depending on real-world operations and the results may vary at other times. Many other routes were narrowly missed.
Image: GCMap
Of course, American Eagle’s aircraft mostly fly very short routes, including the shortest airport route, Chicago O’Hare – Milwaukee, with O’Hare being the world’s busiest airport for regional jets. However, three of the 10 routes use American mainline equipment, all from Charlotte, the airline’s second busiest hub.
|
Nautical miles (km) |
route |
Comments on September-December 2024; Aircraft in order of departure per unit |
|---|---|---|
|
58 (108) |
Chicago O’Hare-Milwaukee |
Up to five daily; American Eagle CRJ200 |
|
65 (121) |
Charlotte-Greenville/Spartanburg |
Up to 11 daily*; American Eagle CRJ900, CRJ700, E175, ERJ145; American Mainline A320, A319, 737-800 (one 737 departure on September 3); no long-distance traffic in November/December |
|
72 (134) |
Charlotte-Greensboro |
Up to 10 daily**; American Eagle CRJ900, ERJ145, CRJ700, E175; American Mainline A319/A320; no long-distance traffic in November/December |
|
73 (135) |
Philadelphia-Harrisburg |
Up to five daily; American Eagle ERJ145 |
|
77 (142) |
Charlotte-Columbia |
Up to 10 daily; American Eagle ERJ145, CRJ900, CRJ700 |
|
78 (144) |
Dallas/Fort Worth-Waco |
Three times daily; American Eagle CRJ700, E170, E175 |
|
79 (147) |
Charlotte-Asheville |
Up to nine daily***; American Eagle CRJ900, E175, ERJ145, CRJ700; American Mainline A319, A320; minimal main route equipment in November and no flights in December |
|
83 (154) |
Philadelphia–New York LaGuardia |
Up to six daily; American Eagle E175, E170 |
|
86 (160) |
Charlotte-Florence |
Up to three times daily; American Eagle ERJ145 |
|
89 (165) |
Dallas/Fort Worth-Tyler |
Three times daily; American Eagle CRJ700, E170 |
|
** 85% of flights are operated with RJs; ** 92% of flights are operated with RJs; *** 89% of flights are operated with RJs |
But there were shorter services …
Using Cirium data to examine schedules over the past 10 years shows that Philadelphia-Allentownonly 48 nautical miles (88 km) apart, was served by air during the pandemic until May 1, 2020. In recent months, there have been up to three daily ERJ145 flights.
Of course, the route was taken over by US Airways, which opened it in 2004. American still connects its Philadelphia hub with Allentown, but with much less expensive landline buses.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Easy flying
Even shorter routes were available further back. American Eagle had ATR 72-operated San Juan-Vieques flights in 2005/2006 when San Juan was a hub. The same equipment that was decommissioned 11 years ago was also used on St. Thomas-St. Croix in 2005, while Antigua and Nevis ATR 72 took place in 2004/2005. The longest of these trips, Antingua-Nevis, was only 46 nautical miles (86 km) long in each direction.
