American Airlines will stop providing direct service from Worcester Regional Airport to Philadelphia in the new year, the Massachusetts Port Authority confirmed Wednesday afternoon.
That service will be replaced with direct flights to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
“We see this change as a positive move for business and leisure travelers to and from Worcester,” said Jennifer Mehigan, director of media relations at the Massachusetts Port Authority. “Together with JetBlue’s flights to JFK and Delta’s flight to LaGuardia, this ultimately means more opportunities for people in Central Massachusetts to travel anywhere around the world just one stop away.”
Mehigan pointed out that while JFK connects nonstop to 148 destinations both domestically and internationally, Philadelphia connected to less than 100.
Scheduled flights on the American Airlines website indicated the change will go into effect on Jan. 4.
“The route adjustment provides Central Massachusetts customers with convenient access to the New York’s largest network — which offers connectivity to nearly 150 global destinations serviced by American and our Northeast Alliance partner, JetBlue,” American Airlines said in an emailed statedment. “Additionally, the adjustment allows American to up-gauge service from a 50-seat ERJ-145 to the 76-seat Embraer E-175, which offers customers a premium two-class cabin on every flight.”
Following a temporary service stoppage due to the pandemic, American Airlines resumed nonstop service between Worcester and Philadelphia at the beginning of November. Before the pandemic, travelers had five city options to fly direct to: New York City, Philadelphia, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, and Orlando.
Now, the loss of Philadelphia flights gives Worcester airport two direct city connections: Fort Lauderdale and New York City, which includes both JFK and LaGuardia airports in New York.
