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November 17, 2021

Worcester airport loses destination as American drops Philly for NYC

Photo | Courtesy of Massport An American Airlines plane at Worcester Regional Airport
By Monica Benevides

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.

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1 Comments

Anonymous
November 18, 2021
This headline is misleading and unnecessarily negative. The flight to Philadelphia that American is cutting was so poorly timed that it did not connect to any of the many destinations available from Philadelphia. It was a dead end early evening flight that was doomed to fail as soon as it was announced. The switch to JFK, along with mid-day timing and a more comfortable 85- seat jet, are all positives for Worcester. The flight now connects to several popular American destinations and gives Worcester travelers a third option each day into jetBlue's huge hub at JFK. Since jetBlue and American have entered an affiliation arrangement to work cooperatively in providing service on the East Coast, the switch to JFK makes sense on many levels. A better headline would be "American's Flight Change Gives Worcester Travelers More Options and Convenience."
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