American Airlines walked away from Los Angeles-to-Asia flying a few years back, judging the competition too fierce. Now it wants back in. Chief Commercial Officer Nat Pieper says the airline expects to add LA–Asia routes as new Boeing 787 Dreamliners arrive — and there are 19 of them on order, according to regulatory filings, with three due next year and six more in 2028.
Asia is flagged as a priority market for those aircraft. The timing is no accident: American's $1.6 billion rebuild of Terminals 4 and 5 at LAX is expected to wrap up before the 2028 Olympics, which will hand the airline back gates and room to expand. That terminal project has been the main constraint on how much flying American could base in Los Angeles.
Why did the airline retreat in the first place? American felt there was simply too much competition on trans-Pacific routes out of LAX — rivals like Delta, Singapore, and the Asian carriers dominate the market. But per the source, that retreat cost American relevance in one of the biggest credit card spending markets in the country, which matters a lot for a co-brand card powerhouse. The view from the source is that this was a mistake, and the airline now looks positioned to return with real force once the planes and terminal space line up.
For travellers, the practical takeaway is more choice and potentially sharper fares on LA–Asia routes by the late 2020s. If you're flying to Tokyo, Seoul, or beyond from the West Coast, a bigger American presence at LAX means more one-stop options and more award availability if you hold AAdvantage miles. The 787 is also a comfortable long-haul aircraft — larger windows, lower cabin altitude, and a quieter ride — so more of them in the fleet is good news beyond route announcements.
A few other nuggets from this roundup worth knowing: the Capital One Lounge at Washington Dulles returns to full service after limited operations for ventilation and infrastructure work; a new Amex Centurion lounge at Amsterdam Schiphol appears close to opening, with job listings pointing to an August/September 2026 start and daily hours from 5am to 11pm; and Bilt members can now book Blacklane chauffeur cars in-app, which one traveller found cost about the same as an UberX for a bigger, meet-and-greet vehicle at baggage claim.
The American news is the headline item, though. If you're planning a Pacific trip for 2027 or 2028, keep an eye on route announcements out of LAX — this comeback is still in the planning stage, but the aircraft orders and terminal timeline suggest it's coming.