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American Airlines is adding a new city in Portugal to its transatlantic network with the announcement of nonstop service to Porto’s Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO) beginning in summer 2027. The new daily, summer seasonal route will connect travelers from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) to Porto’s iconic port wine culture and the charming city in the north of Portugal.
American already offers year-round service to Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado Airport in Lisbon (LIS). Porto is a natural and complementary addition for travelers looking to explore northern Portugal. I love Porto and the surrounding area and have visited several times. The port wine cellars, colorful riverfront neighborhoods, blue-and-white azulejos tiles, and a delicious culinary scene make this an exciting, smaller city to visit.
American’s Porto flights will be operated with the airline’s new Airbus A321XLR aircraft. This long-range single-aisle jet was designed to open new possibilities for transatlantic travel. American became the first US airline to take delivery of the A321XLR, which entered service in December 2025.
The aircraft features 20 Flagship Suite® seats, offering customers a premium experience complete with privacy doors. Travelers in the Flagship Suite® cabin will enjoy new mattress pads rolling out across long-haul Flagship® Business flights in 2026, along with a cool-touch dual-sided pillow, Bang & Olufsen noise-canceling headphones, Nest Bedding-branded slippers, a duvet, and an amenity kit.
The Airbus A321XLR is expected to play a major role in American’s future international expansion. Its range and efficiency make it ideally suited for routes like Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) to/from Porto’s Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport (OPO). It allows the airline to open new city pairs, extend seasonal flying, and increase frequencies on high-demand destinations.
Starting next month, the aircraft will also launch new service to Edinburgh Airport (EDI), from New York John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK), further demonstrating its importance to American’s evolving transatlantic strategy.
Beyond Europe, the A321XLR will also operate premium transcontinental routes this summer, including:
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- New York John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- New York John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
In addition to the Flagship Suite®, American’s Porto flights will offer Premium Economy and Main Cabin seating options. Premium Economy includes upgraded features like winged headrests, calf and footrests, and wireless charging. Customers in both Premium Economy and Main Cabin will receive hot meals and enjoy complimentary seatback entertainment with Bluetooth connectivity.
Brian Znotins, Senior Vice President of Network and Schedule Planning, said:
Porto is exactly the type of new market the Airbus A321XLR enables us to serve. While we’ll have even more new routes to share later this year for summer 2027, we’re eager to continue growing our long-haul network that features service to new destinations, including Budapest, Hungary, and Prague that will start this summer.”
Anthony’s Take: With the launch of Porto service in summer 2027, American Airlines is combining its brand new aircraft with flights to one of Europe’s most captivating destinations. I’m curious to see what other smaller cities American adds to the map with these aircraft.
(Image Credits: American Airlines.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
