American Airlines walked away from Los Angeles as its Asia gateway years ago, arguing the market was too crowded to be profitable. Now the airline appears to be having second thoughts — and Singapore is the route being whispered about.
Aviation watcher JonNYC reports faint rumours of an American nonstop from Los Angeles to Singapore, following a hint from the airline's chief commercial officer Nat Pieper about rebuilding Pacific flying with new Boeing 787-9P aircraft entering the fleet. Nothing is confirmed, but the mere possibility is a notable reversal.
When American retreated from LAX, network planning chief Brian Znotins was blunt: the airline struggled because every Asian carrier serves Los Angeles, flooding routes to Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai with capacity American couldn't compete against. Instead, American leaned on its Dallas hub and joint venture partners elsewhere. A plan to build Asia flying from Seattle with Alaska never gained traction, and the Alaska–Singapore Airlines partnership was later dismantled — so American would at least no longer be feeding a rival's Singapore flights.
If the route happens, American would face stiff competition. Singapore Airlines already flies the nonstop with a huge connecting network across Asia, and Delta has said it also plans Singapore service, though it hasn't revealed whether that would come from Seattle or Los Angeles. American, meanwhile, has no partner on the ground in Singapore to connect passengers onward. That said, Singapore is a premium destination with strong business demand — arguably stronger than Manila, where American has an oneworld partner but would also face Delta.
Other Pacific routes are reportedly on the airline's radar too, including Manila, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Bangkok and Seoul. Taipei is already saturated, while consolidation in the Korean market after Korean Air absorbed Asiana might open a door in Seoul — though Delta's partnership with Korean gives it a big head start there.
Why should a traveller care? A new US nonstop to Singapore would mean more seat availability and fare competition on one of the world's longest city pairs, plus another option for earning and redeeming miles. It would also mark American trying to claw back relevance at LAX, where Delta now leads and dominates the local co-brand credit card market. For now, treat this as a rumour worth watching rather than a booking opportunity — but if you're planning a Singapore trip a year or more out, an American nonstop from the West Coast could change your options.
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