Congressman slams scrapping of Philly-Tel Aviv route
American Airlines said it will scrap its daily US Airways nonstop service from Philadelphia to Tel Aviv this fall, a decision slammed by local congressman Chaka Fattah.
After six years of operation, the carrier says it has been unprofitable from the outset.
"It is a critically important route, both for the constituents in my district who travel between Philadelphia and Tel Aviv, and also for the growing business relationship between our city and Israel," Fattah said.
"The effects of this decision will not only hurt tourism between our two countries, it will have a negative impact on our economies."
American said it lost $20 milion on the route last year.
"At the six-year mark, we have yet to turn a profit on this route," said Rhett Workman, American’s managing director of government and airport affairs.
"We really tried to make a go of it. We were hoping that with the merger of US Airways and American and with the significant reduction in fuel prices, the route would turn to the black. Unfortunately, that has not been the case."
The route, launched in July 2009, was part of the US Airways route and the longest in its network at 5,700-miles.
"We’ve kept the route in the market longer than we have other routes, even though it was under performing, because of all the significant business and community links associated with it," Workman said.
We looked at every single option with every single aircraft that we have. For American, it’s not going to be a profitable route."
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026