Oneworld Alliance carrier American Airlines has resumed service to La Romana (LRM) in the Dominican Republic.
The flight departs from Miami and strengthens the carrier's position from the Florida airport in advance of the holidays.
The inaugural flight from Miami International Airport (MIA) took off on Thursday, December 5th, following a celebration at the airport.
The route was previously served by American Eagle with an Embraer E145 with room for just 45 passengers and later an Embraer E175 seating 64 passengers in economy class and 12 in executive class.
The latest launch featured an Airbus A319, registered N8031M. The plane is configured to carry up to 128 passengers, with eight recliners in first class and the remaining seats in economy.
The route was announced as part of a broader Caribbean expansion back in May and joined more than 415 peak daily flights to more than 155 destinations from Miami with American Airlines.
This winter, the carrier will operate its largest-ever schedule from Miami, with more seats and flights than ever before. In a Facebook post, airport officials expressed excitement for the route to return:
"The skies of La Romana will once again welcome the wings that have connected millions of travelers across the globe. This inaugural flight is more than a route; it’s a bridge of dreams, rekindling connections and bringing the world closer to our shores.
"We invite you to join us in celebrating this special occasion. Let’s make history together!"
The new daily flight expands American Airlines' presence in the Dominican Republic to five destinations throughout the country.
The inaugural flight featured an all-Dominican crew and departed Miami International Airport at 11:05 on Thursday, according to flight tracking data from Flightradar24.
Despite leaving slightly behind schedule, the flight made up for the lost time and landed in the Dominican Republic at 13:59.
Going forward, the daily flight will leave Miami at 10:37 and arrive in La Romana at 14:20. The return leg is scheduled to depart La Romana around 15:15 and land back in Miami just before 17:00. Luis Emilio Rodriguez, Director of La Romana International Airport, highlighted his excitement for the route to recommence:
“Welcoming passengers on this daily American Airlines flight from Miami is like welcoming a good friend back home, as it has been a tradition for our airport and Casa de Campo resort & home owner community to have this air connectivity between our two cities.
“Today, La Romana has developed and has strengthened with the investment and presence of new hotel chains, offering travelers who enter through our terminal various accommodation options, within the framework of a tourist destination that continues moving forward."
While American Airlines will be the only US airline connecting the two airports, it does face competition on the route.
There is an existing nonstop link between Miami and La Romana with the Dominican Republic-based airline Red Air.
The carrier operates the rare McDonnell Douglas MD-80 on the route on a seasonal basis with up to twice-daily operations.
The La Romana route is the first of several new additions to the American Airlines network this month.
Tomorrow, the carrier will launch Saturday Boeing 737 flights from Charlotte (CLT) and New York JFK to St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVD).
Also beginning on Saturday from JFK are Boeing 737 links to St. Maarten (SXM) and St. Lucia (UVF).
A link from Philadelphia (PHL) to Liberia, Costa Rica (LIR), also begins this weekend. This joins new links from the Pennsylvania Airport and New York JFK to Bridgetown (BGI) in Barbados, which began last month.
