American Airlines' 10 shortest mainline routes from Charlotte

Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) in Charlotte, North Carolina, serves as a major hub for American Airlines . In fact, the airport only trails Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in American's network. As of January 2025, the airport serves 187 destinations worldwide and has more than 700 departures and landings on a daily basis.

This has not always been the case. Charlotte served primarily as a regional airport until Piedmont Airlines made it a hub in 1979.

A new terminal was built in 1982, and over the decades, the importance of the airport has grown significantly with expansion in both airport facilities as well as the number of destinations served.

Though Charlotte Douglas now handles a number of continental and intercontinental flights, it still remains an important connection point for many airports a little closer to home.

While it may come as no surprise to see these shorter routes served by regional jets, it is interesting to note that American Airlines serves several relatively short hops with mainline equipment.

This article takes a look at ten of American Airlines’ shortest routes served from Charlotte Douglas utilizing mainline equipment.

10 Richmond International Airport (RIC)

256 miles

Richmond International Airport serves Virginia’s state capital. Its central location within Virginia and the mid-Atlantic region attracts over three million travelers each year.

The flight from Charlotte takes an average time of 58 minutes from gate to gate, with an average flight time of 38 minutes in the air.

According to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, American Airlines currently serves the Virginia capital with 177 monthly mainline flights from Charlotte, spread between Boeing 737-800s and the Airbus A320 line of aircraft.

The Airbus A319 is the most dominant type utilized by American on this route, with the aircraft scheduled to cover 76 one-way flights from Charlotte to Richmond in January.

According to aeroLOPA, American’s A319s are typically configured with eight domestic first class seats and 120 economy seats, of which 24 are main cabin extra seats with additional legroom. There are no direct competitors on this route.

9 Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)

227 miles

Many airline enthusiasts may find it interesting that American Airlines currently operates more mainline flights between Charlotte Douglas International and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) than it does from Chicago O’Hare to Atlanta. Currently, American’s O’Hare to Atlanta flights are mostly served by Embraer E175 regional jets.

However, American has 34 mainline flights scheduled this month on the short route from Charlotte to Atlanta. FlightAware shows that the average time for this route is one hour and 14 minutes. With 33 minutes of scheduled taxi time, the average flight time on this route is 41 minutes.

Again, of its mainline equipment to serve this route, American utilizes the Airbus A319 the most. The aircraft is scheduled to operate the route 25 times in January. Delta Air Lines competes, primarily with the Boeing 717 , on this route.

8 Savannah Hilton Head International Airport (SAV)

214 miles

The next airport on our list with American Airlines mainline service from Charlotte is Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV). Recognized as the #1 airport in the United States by Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards, this gem serves the traveling public from both Georgia and South Carolina.

With an average flight distance from Charlotte of 214 miles, this route is relatively short. The scheduled duration from gate to gate is one hour and ten minutes, with a flight time of only 37 minutes in the air.

Once again, American Airlines’ mainline equipment for this route is the Airbus A319, which is scheduled on this service 25 times in January. No other airline offers nonstop service to Savannah/Hilton Head from Charlotte, though other well known airlines such as Allegiant Air , Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines , JetBlue , Southwest Airlines , and United Airlines serve the airport from other cities.

7 Wilmington International Airport (ILM)

185 miles

Historic Wilmington, North Carolina may only have a population of 112,607, but that does not keep this coastal city from receiving multiple mainline flights a day. American Airlines has scheduled 93 mainline services in January from Charlotte to Wilmington using Airbus narrowbody aircraft.

The flight distance from Charlotte to Wilmington is only 185 miles. The total trip duration is scheduled for one hour and four minutes. With 33 minutes of taxi time scheduled for each flight, the actual average flight time is reduced to 31 minutes.

As with the other cities on this list so far, American’s primary aircraft of choice for this route is the Airbus A319. Cirium data shows that only A319s and A320s have been scheduled on this route in January, but a look at FlightAware data indicates that an Airbus A321 has slipped onto the schedule a couple of times. American appears to be the only airline serving this short route.

6 McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS)

177 miles

Tucked in a broad valley, McGhee Tyson Airport serves Knoxville, Tennessee. American’s service to the airport from Charlotte is mostly carried out by CRJ700s and CRJ900s of PSA Airlines and Embraer E145s of Piedmont Airlines . However, American Airlines does have an occasional Airbus A319 service scheduled to McGhee Tyson.

According to Cirium's data, the Airbus A319s were scheduled between Charlotte and Knoxville three times in January. Typically, the duration on this route is scheduled for one hour and twelve minutes, but with a flight time of only 37 minutes.

Though American has no direct competitors on this route, Allegiant, Avelo Airlines , Delta Air Lines, Frontier, and United all serve Tyson McGhee airport from other destinations.

5 Charleston International Airport (CHS)

168 miles

Charleston, South Carolina, is not only a charming and historic southern city, but also a growing hub of international business and the home of the Boeing 787 production line. Though it is only an average flight distance of 168 miles from Charlotte, American Airlines connects Charlotte to Charleston with 102 mainline flights in January.

The primary equipment American Airlines has selected for this route is the Airbus A321, closely followed by the Boeing 737-800. The A321s are typically configured with 170 economy seats (35 Main Cabin Extra) and 20 Domestic First Class seats. American's Boeing 737-800s typically seat 156 in economy (24 in Main Cabin Extra) and 16 in Domestic First Class.

The flight time on this service is scheduled for one hour and eight minutes, though the actual average time in the air is only 32 minutes. American Airlines does not have direct competition on the route from Charlotte to Charleston. However, Delta Air Lines’ Boeing 737-900s and Boeing 717s bring considerable competition with service from the airline's hub in Atlanta.

4 Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR)

156 miles

American Airlines also provides mainline service to Myrtle Beach International Airport in South Carolina. Spirit Airlines has the largest presence at Myrtle Beach (32% of the airport's passenger capacity), followed by American Airlines (18%), Southwest Airlines (17%), and Delta Air Lines (16%).

Nonetheless, American connects passengers to Myrtle Beach through the airline’s massive Charlotte hub. In January, American has 25 mainline services scheduled from Charlotte to Myrtle Beach with Airbus A319s. The total trip time and flight times are identical to the Charleston service. Overall, the Airbus fleet adds 3,200 seats to the market.

3 Raleigh Durham International Airport (RDU)

130 miles

Raleigh Durham International is really quite close to Charlotte Douglas International, with only 130 miles separating the two airports. That said, the flight time is a short 30 minutes in the air, though American allots 1 hour and 5 minutes from gate to gate. More time will generally be spent on the boarding and taxiing processes than in the air.

That said, Raleigh Durham is an important city in American Airlines' network. The airline has pumped 58,274 seats into the market with 306 mainline flights from Charlotte. The Airbus A321 is the primary aircraft type that American utilizes on this route.

FlightAware indicates that no other airlines provide this service from Charlotte. However, American does face stiff competition from other airlines serving Raleigh Durham from several other cities.

2 Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO)

82 miles

Piedmont Triad International Airport serves Greensboro, North Carolina. Though it is only a distance of 82 miles, American Airlines serves the city with 50 mainline flights scheduled from Charlotte in January. As you can probably imagine, the flight time is very short.

Airbus A319s are utilized for the bulk of the mainline flights. However, the A320 fleet serves this route on a regular basis. The average time scheduled for the route is 55 minutes from gate to gate, with only 24 minutes in the air. Nonetheless, these flights provide an important connection to this historic city from other municipalities across the United States and from around the world.

1 Greenville Spartanburg International Airport (GSP)

76 miles

Greenville, South Carolina is home to Greenville Spartanburg International Airport. This airport is only 76 miles from Charlotte and currently receives the shortest mainline service from American Airlines’ North Carolina hub. As seems to be a common theme with all of these routes, Greenville Spartanburg is served by American’s fleet of A319s.

A recent review of FlightAware displayed that one of these flights only spent 19 minutes in the air. It only climbed to 10,000 feet where it cruised for three minutes before beginning its descent towards Greenville. Though American schedules these flights for 56 minutes gate to gate, the average time on FlightAware shows that they are closer to 40 minutes in duration, with half of that time spent taxing.

These routes are a testament to Americans’ commitment to its hub at Charlotte Douglas International as well as the niche the Airbus A319 fills for the airline. Though many of these routes are quite short, they move a considerable number of passengers and play an instrumental role in connecting these places to the rest of the world via American’s second-largest hub.