American Airlines Adds New Domestic Destination in Southern California

American Airlines is expanding its domestic operations by adding a new destination.

The airline will add service to McClellan-Palomar Airport (CLD) in Carlsbad, California, beginning February 13, 2025. American’s regional affiliate Envoy Air will operate two daily flights to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), marketed as American Eagle service.

The regional link will deploy a 76-seat Embraer 175 aircraft on this route, equipped with 12 first class seats, 20 Main Cabin Extra seats with ample legroom and 44 standard economy class seats.

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Carlsbad is home to Legoland California Theme Park and is located approximately 35 miles north San Diego International Airport (SAN)where American Airlines already has extensive service. The new route will give travelers in the northern suburbs of San Diego new travel options without having to drive to SAN or the much larger Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

In a statement confirming the move, the airline said “American looks forward to connecting Carlsbad to our comprehensive global network beginning in February of next year. This new service will provide convenient one-stop connections to destinations across the United States and Mexico, and bring travelers from around the world to explore all that Carlsbad has to offer.”

American operates a hub in Phoenix and from there, travelers can enjoy one-stop service to most major cities in the United States and Mexico.

For much of the past decade, Carlsbad has had no scheduled commercial air service. The airport is served by regional airline JSX, which operates 30-seat Embraer regional jets on a public charter basis. JSX flies from Carlsbad to Las Vegas and Scottsdale.

But the last time Carlsbad had commercial service was in April 2015, when United Express-affiliated SkyWest Airlines flew from the city to Los Angeles — a short 86-mile flight operated by an Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia turboprop, according to Cirium’s schedule.

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To support new American flights, Palomar Airport will contract with TSA to provide security services for departing passengers.

“We are excited to be able to offer this new service to our passengers and look forward to partnering with American Airlines as one of our newest stakeholders,” Palomar Airport Director Jamie Abbott said in a statement.

For its part, American’s recent network strategy has focused on boosting domestic and short-haul connections. The airline dominates many domestic markets and continues to grow across the country with new routes and destinations. Last week, American announced new service to South Caicos, Turks and Caicos, and it has added two more inland routes from New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA).

American has long said it wants to offer the most comprehensive schedule for domestic travelers looking to connect to its extensive network through its hubs — and that appears to be what the airline is doing at Carlsbad with its new service to Phoenix.

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