7 New American Airlines Routes in 2027

American Airlines is adding seven new international routes to its 2027 schedule, including a daily flight between New York JFK and Nice starting May 6, 2027, operated by an Airbus A321XLR. The carrier is also opening Porto, Vienna and Reykjavík. Tickets go on sale August 31, 2026.

For Canadian travellers, these new American Airlines routes mainly open connections to southern Europe through New York and Philadelphia. Four of them rely on the A321XLR, the same aircraft Air Canada already flies across the Atlantic.

One detail matters more than the list of cities: in Canada, a single credit card program lets you earn AAdvantage miles. We come back to it below. To compare every option, see our page on the best credit cards.

The 7 new American Airlines routes

The carrier is announcing seven routes and three destinations it did not serve before: Nice, Porto and Vienna. The calendar runs from March 19 to May 27, 2027.

Route	Aircraft	Start	Frequency
New York (JFK) – Nice (NCE)	Airbus A321XLR	May 6, 2027	Daily
New York (JFK) – Amsterdam (AMS)	Airbus A321XLR	March 28, 2027	Daily
Philadelphia (PHL) – Porto (OPO)	Airbus A321XLR	March 28, 2027	Daily
Philadelphia (PHL) – Vienna (VIE)	Airbus A321XLR	May 6, 2027	Daily
Philadelphia (PHL) – Reykjavík (KEF)	Airbus A321neo	May 27, 2027	Daily
Charlotte (CLT) – Barcelona (BCN)	Boeing 777-200ER	May 27, 2027	Daily
Chicago (ORD) – Tokyo Narita (NRT)	Boeing 787-9	March 19, 2027	Daily

American is also adding a daily frequency between JFK and London Heathrow on March 28, 2027, on a Boeing 787-9. Vienna gets an extended season: the carrier flies there through early January 2028.

Nice joins the transatlantic network

American already served Nice from Philadelphia, a route launched in 2024. The nonstop flight between New York and Nice therefore becomes its second gateway to the French Riviera, this time from its largest international hub.

According to the Côte d’Azur France regional tourism board, Nice Côte d’Azur Airport will then count ten long-haul routes to North America, four of them to New York. North American travellers rank among its most important markets.

From Canada, no nonstop flight links Montreal to Nice outside Air Canada’s summer season. A connection at JFK or Philadelphia therefore becomes a credible option for a spring or fall trip.

Aerial view of the Baie des Anges and the Promenade des Anglais in Nice — The Baie des Anges and the Promenade des Anglais, in Nice.

Why the A321XLR changes routes

Four of the seven routes rely on the Airbus A321XLR. This single-aisle aircraft on transatlantic routes carries about 180 passengers, compared with more than 250 on a traditional widebody.

The practical result: an airline can open a city that traffic did not justify with a Boeing 777. That is exactly American’s bet on Porto, Vienna and Nice, three highly seasonal summer markets.

Air Canada follows the same logic. The carrier received its first A321XLR in 2026 and already uses it to link Montreal with secondary European cities, such as Mallorca.

Air Canada Airbus A321XLR inside a maintenance hangar — Air Canada’s first Airbus A321XLR, unveiled in June 2026.

Flying these routes with your points

American Airlines belongs to the oneworld alliance. Aeroplan therefore cannot book these flights. In Canada, three paths still lead to a seat on an American A321XLR.

Transferring Avion points to AAdvantage

RBC remains the only Canadian issuer whose points convert into AAdvantage miles. The current rate gives 7 AAdvantage miles for 10 Avion points, with a 5,000-point minimum per conversion.

This transfer stays limited to Avion Elite members, meaning holders of an eligible Avion card. A 15% bonus runs through September 3, 2026: 10,000 Avion points then yield 8,050 miles instead of 7,000.

FeaturedCompare

RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card

RBC RBC Avion Rewards - Elite

Annual fee: $120
Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$1,190Total$1,190Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.: $1,190
Welcome offerAfter $5,000 in 6 months: Up to 70,000 points; Ends Nov 25, 2026

For a limited time, the RBC Avion Visa Infinite Card offers a welcome bonus of up to 70,000 Avion points, worth up to $1,500 in travel.

35,000 points upon approval of your application
20,000 points when you charge $5,000 in purchases to your account within the first six months
15,000 points on the first anniversary of your account

You can redeem your Avion points for flights with more than 500 airlines, with no blackout periods or seat restrictions, or transfer them to partner programs such as American Airlines AAdvantage, The British Airways Club, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles and WestJet Rewards.

The card earns you 1.25 points per dollar on eligible travel purchases and 1 point per dollar on all your other eligible purchases. It also includes extensive insurance coverage: emergency medical, trip cancellation and interruption, collision coverage for rental vehicles, and mobile devices.

The annual fee is $120.

Legal

Refer to RBC page for up to date offer terms and conditions

^† Based on the Air Travel Reward redemptions from the Air Travel Redemption Schedule starting at 35,000 Avion points for one round-trip long-haul flight to almost anywhere in Canada or the United States with a maximum ticket price of $750, you will need a minimum of 70,000 Avion Points for two round-trips long-haul flights to almost anywhere in Canada or the United States, exclusive of Hawaii and Alaska. All applicable taxes, service fees and surcharges are the responsibility of the traveler. For more details, including information on redeeming for first class and business class seats, visit: www.avionrewards.com/travel/index.html. For general redemption terms, conditions and restrictions that apply to the Avion Rewards program, please visit: www.avionrewards.com or call 1-800 ROYAL 1-2 (1-800-769-2512).

^ Based on the Air Travel Reward redemptions from the Air Travel Redemption Schedule starting at 15,000 Avion points for a round trip within or to an adjacent Canadian province/territory or U.S State with a maximum ticket price of $350. You will need a minimum of 60,000 Avion Points for four round-trips within or to an adjacent Canadian province/territory or U.S State. All applicable taxes, service fees and surcharges are the responsibility of the traveller. For more details, including information on redeeming for first class and business class seats, please visit: www.avionrewards.com/travel/index.html. For general redemption terms, conditions and restrictions that apply to the Avion Rewards program, please visit: www.avionrewards.com or call 1-800 ROYAL 1-2 (1-800-769-2512).

1 This offer only applies to new applications for an RBC Avion Visa Infinite or RBC Avion Visa Platinum credit card (each, an “Eligible Credit Card”) received between “August 13, 2026” and “November 25, 2026” (“Offer Period”) and approved by Royal Bank of Canada (“Royal Bank”) subject to the conditions below. Additional cardholders(s) (co-applicant and authorized user(s)) on the Eligible Credit Card account, as well as existing cardholders on any RBC Royal Bank personal credit card account transferring to an Eligible Credit Card account during the Offer Period, are not eligible for the offer.

35,000 welcome Avion points (“Welcome Points”) will appear on your monthly credit card statement within sixty (60) days after your application has been approved, provided that your Eligible Credit Card account remains open and in good standing at the time the Welcome points are credited to your account, “good standing” meaning that your Eligible Credit Card account must not be past due for more than two (2) consecutive credit card account statement periods, closed, charged off or in credit revoked status.

You will receive 20,000 bonus Avion points (“Bonus Points”) if a total of $5,000 or more (“Qualifying Transaction Amount”) in qualifying net purchases and/or pre-authorized bill payment transactions (“Qualifying Transactions”) are posted to your Eligible Credit Card account within the first six (6) months from your Eligible Credit Card account opening date (“Period”). The Bonus Points will appear on your monthly credit card statement within sixty days (60) after you reach $5,000 in Qualifying Transactions, provided your Eligible Credit Card account remains open and in good standing at the time the Bonus Points are credited to your account.

Qualifying Transactions exclude cash advances (including balance transfers, cash-like transactions and bill payments that are not pre-authorized charges that you set up with a merchant), interest charges and fees. Credits for returns and adjustments posted to your Eligible Credit Card account during the Period will reduce the amount of your Qualifying Transactions. The Qualifying Transaction Amount is based on the transaction posting date of each Qualifying Transaction, not the transaction date. This means that transactions that take place prior to the last day of the Period will not be considered for the Qualifying Transaction Amount if they have not yet been posted or processed by the merchant, the payment network (Visa) or Royal Bank by the last day of the Period.

15,000 additional Avion points (“Anniversary Points”) will appear on your monthly credit card statement within twelve (12) to sixteen (16) weeks after the one- year anniversary of your account opening, provided that your Eligible Credit Card account remains open and in good standing at the time the Anniversary Points are credited to your account.

If you close or change your Eligible Credit Card Account for another type of RBC Royal Bank credit card before the Welcome Points, the Bonus Points and/or the Anniversary Points have been credited to your account, you may lose the benefit of this offer. This offer may not be combined or used in conjunction with any other offer. Royal Bank reserves the right to cancel, modify or withdraw this offer at any time without notice, even after your application has been approved, including if we suspect that you may be manipulating or abusing it, or engaging in any suspicious or fraudulent activity, as determined by Royal Bank in its sole discretion. For complete terms and conditions that apply to the Avion Rewards Program, please visit www.avionrewards.com or call 1-800-769-2512.

^Point redemptions for flights under the Air Travel Redemption Schedule start at 7,500 points for a short-haul one-way Economy Class flight priced at no more than $175 (and start at 15,000 points for a short-haul round-trip Economy Class flight priced at no more than $350). The traveller is responsible for all applicable taxes, administration fees and surcharges. To learn more, including guidelines regarding redeeming points for a Business Class flight, visit www.avionrewards.com/fr/travel/.

2 Avion points are earned on qualifying net purchases only; they are not earned on cash advances (including balance transfers, cash-like transactions and bill payments that are not pre-authorized charges that you set up with a merchant) interest charges or fees, and credits for returns and adjustments will reduce or cancel the points earned by the amounts originally charged.

4 To participate in this offer, you must have an RBC debit card or a credit card which is issued by Royal Bank of Canada (excluding RBC commercial credit cards) (“RBC Card”). RBC business clients will only be able to link up to two (2) RBC business credit cards and one (1) RBC business debit card to a Petro-Points card.

You must be enrolled in RBC Online Banking or the RBC Mobile app in order to link your RBC Card to your Petro-Points card. Card linking may take up to 2 business days to process before savings and bonus points can be applied to purchases. A linked RBC Card means an RBC Card linked to a Petro-Points Account. Your linked RBC Card acts as your Petro-Points card. You will automatically earn Petro-Points when you pay for qualifying purchases with your linked RBC Card at Petro-Canada locations and you do not need to swipe your Petro-Points card before you pay. You can redeem your Petro-Points at Petro-Canada using your linked RBC Card. Each time you use your linked RBC Card to purchase any grade of gasoline, or diesel, at a Petro-Canada location, you will save three cents ($0.03) per litre at the time of the transaction.

6 Each time you use your linked Eligible Avion Rewards Credit Card to pay for purchases at a Petro-Canada Location, you will earn a bonus of twenty percent (20%) more Avion points than you normally earn for every $1 in purchases in accordance with the Avion Rewards Terms and Conditions. Please allow up to ninety (90) days from the date the transaction is posted on your credit card statement for the bonus points to be deposited into Avion Rewards account. Authorized Users are excluded from earning Avion points bonus.

6 Each time you use your eligible linked Avion Rewards credit card to pay for purchases at a Petro-Canada location, you will receive a bonus of twenty percent (20%) more Avion points than you would normally receive for each dollar of purchase, in accordance with the terms of the Avion Rewards program. Please allow up to ninety (90) days from the date the transaction is posted to your credit card statement for your bonus points to be deposited into your Avion Rewards account. Authorized users cannot earn bonus Avion points.

7 Coverage underwritten by RBC Insurance Company of Canada. Please refer to the insurance certificate for complete details. rbc-visa-infinite-avion-certificate-of-insurance.pdf

9 Under 65 years of age, 15 days of coverage. For age 65 and over, 3 days of coverage. Coverage underwritten by RBC Insurance Company of Canada.

12 You will earn 1.25 Avion points for every dollar spent when you use your RBC Avion Visa Infinite card to pay for travel-related purchases made at merchants classified by Visa’s “Merchant Category Code” (“MCC”) as “travel”, which may include: airlines, accommodations, tour operators, cruise lines, travel agencies and car rental companies. Even though some merchants may sell travel products/services, purchases made at these locations may not necessarily qualify for the 1.25 Avion points per dollar if the merchant is not classified with a “travel” MCC. Also, merchants that are not classified by a “travel” MCC may be located on the premises of merchants that are classified with a “travel” MCC, and purchases made at these locations may not qualify for this added benefit. For more details, please refer to the Avion Rewards Terms and Conditions at: https://www.avionrewards.com/terms-and-conditions/index.html

14 The term “redeem” means using your Be Well points to pay, or partially pay, for eligible purchases using your Be Well card at participating Rexall locations according to the instructions provided by the cashier, the point-of-sale terminal or any other payment processing device. You can redeem the Be Well points you earn for eligible purchases—see section 5 of the Be Well terms (available at https://www.letsbewell.ca/terms-conditions)—or for another purpose that we may provide from time to time.

You must have joined the Be Well program and registered your Be Well card, or otherwise called customer service, to redeem Be Well points. Any Be Well points earned on a Be Well card will remain the property of the Be Well administrator until the enrollment and registration process is complete.

You must redeem a minimum of 25,000 Be Well points at any time, which are worth $10. Be Well points can be redeemed in $10 increments, up to a maximum of $200 (500,000 Be Well points) in a single transaction. A maximum of 500,000 Be Well points can be redeemed within a 24-hour period.

In Ontario and British Columbia, Be Well points cannot be redeemed for prescription drugs. As the laws of each province and territory may change from time to time, you are encouraged to consult your pharmacist for more information in this regard.

Be Well points you earn when you make a purchase cannot be redeemed immediately for that same purchase. They can only be redeemed for a future eligible purchase that must be made at least 12 hours after earning those Be Well points.

16 To receive a complimentary DashPass subscription for $0 delivery fees on orders of $15 or more at eligible restaurants when you pay with your Eligible RBC Credit Card, you must subscribe to DashPass by adding an Eligible RBC Credit Card, accept the DoorDash terms and conditions, and activate your benefit by clicking “Activate Free DashPass” before November 16, 2028 (“Offer Period”). If you are an existing DashPass subscriber and have already added an Eligible RBC Credit Card to your account you must activate your benefit by clicking “Activate Free DashPass” during the Offer Period. If you have been charged for DashPass you will receive a refund to the method of original payment, in the amount of the monthly subscription fee for the month you activate your complimentary subscription. For all clients, by clicking on “Activate Free DashPass” you agree to the DoorDash terms and conditions which can be found at https://help.doordash.com/consumers/s/terms-and-conditions .

Eligible RBC Credit cardholders include primary cardholders, co-applicants, authorized users, primary business cardholders and secondary business cardholders on an Eligible RBC Credit Card account.

The DashPass monthly subscription fee will be waived (“Complimentary DashPass Subscription”) and you will receive either a 6 months or 12 months Complimentary DashPass Subscription based on the Eligible RBC Credit Card you use to subscribe to DashPass.

DashPass subscriptions purchased through third parties, including third-party payment accounts, or online or mobile digital wallets (like Apply Pay and Google Pay) are not eligible for the Complimentary DashPass Subscription.

Eligible RBC Credit Cards: Your Eligible RBC Credit Card may only be used with one DoorDash account to receive a Complimentary DashPass Subscription. Once you have received a Complimentary DashPass Subscription you cannot use the same eligible RBC Credit Card to obtain a Complimentary DashPass Subscription with another DoorDash account.

You are only eligible for one 12 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription and one 6 months Complimentary DashPass Subscription during the Offer Period. The Complimentary DashPass Subscription commences on the date you subscribe to receive the Complimentary DashPass Subscription. For example, if you subscribe to a 12 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription in on the last day of your second month of a 6 months Complimentary DashPass Subscription you will receive a total of 14 months of Complimentary DashPass Subscription. In order to validate your credit card as an Eligible RBC Credit Card, Royal Bank may need to administer a $0.50 charge to validate your card enrollment. This charge will be reversed in 3 to 5 days once your account has been validated.

12 Month Complimentary DashPass Subscription is available for the following Eligible RBC Credit Cards:

As an RBC Avion Visa Platinum, RBC Avion Visa Infinite , RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege, RBC Avion Visa Infinite Privilege for Private Banking, WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard, RBC Rewards Visa Preferred, RBC Cash Back Preferred World Elite Mastercard, More Rewards RBC Visa Infinite, RBC British Airways Visa Infinite, RBC Avion Visa Business, RBC Avion Visa Infinite Business, WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard for Business (Elite Benefit cards) cardholder.

You are eligible for a Complimentary DashPass Subscription for 12 months from the date you subscribe to receive the Complimentary DashPass Subscription. You will be auto-enrolled into full-price membership at the then-current rate after the end of the 12 month Complimentary DashPass Subscription. Your RBC credit card account must be open and not in default to maintain the benefits of DashPass.

6 Months Complimentary DashPass Subscription is available for the following Eligible RBC Credit Cards:

As an Rewards+TM Visa‡, Signature^® RBC Rewards^® Visa‡, RBC^® Visa‡ Platinum, RBC^® Visa‡ Cash Back, RBC^® Cash Back Mastercard‡, RBC^® Visa‡ Classic Low Rate Option, RBC^® Visa‡ Classic, RBC^® Student Visa‡ Classic, RBC^® Visa‡ Classic II Student, RBC^® Visa‡ Gold, RBC^® U.S. Dollar Visa‡ Gold, RBC Rewards Visa‡ Gold, RBC RateAdvantage^® Visa‡, WestJet RBC^® Mastercard‡, RBC ION Visa, RBC ION+ Visa, More Rewards RBC Visa, RBC Staff VISA Classic Expense, RBC Staff VISA Gold Expense, RBC^® Visa‡ Business, RBC^® Visa‡ Business Gold, RBC^® Visa‡ CreditLine for Small BusinessTM, or RBC^® Business Cash Back Mastercard‡, WestJet RBC^® World Elite Mastercard‡ (Premium Benefit Cards).

You are eligible for a Complimentary DashPass Subscription for 6 months from the date you subscribed to the Complimentary DashPass Subscription. You will be auto-enrolled into full-price membership at the then-current rate after the end of the 6 months Complimentary DashPass Subscription. Your RBC credit card account must be open and not in default to maintain the benefits of DashPass.

DoorDash not Royal Bank of Canada, is responsible for (i) services and products provided through DoorDash; (ii) DashPass, including the DashPass Benefits, the administration of DashPass and (iii) the DoorDash terms and conditions. The Complimentary DashPass Subscription offer may be amended or withdrawn at any time. To learn more about DashPass, visit www.doordash.com/dashpass (opens to external site). For full DashPass for RBC Program Terms and Conditions, visit rbcroyalbank.com/credit-cards/documentation/pdf/full-doordash-tcs-en.pdf

Annual fee

Primary card$120

Additional card$50

Annual income required

Individual$60,000

Household$100,000

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

1.25xTravel
1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$1,567

2nd Year Value$271

Transfer partners

American Airlines AAdvantageAirline
British Airways ClubAirline
Cathay Asia MilesAirline
WestJet RewardsAirline

Card benefits

Concierge service24/7

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Included

Travel medical (55-64)Included

Travel medical (65+)Included

Trip CancellationUp to $1,500

Trip InterruptionUp to $5,000

Delayed BaggageUp to $500

Lost BaggageUp to $500

Flight DelayUp to $500

Hotel BurglaryUp to $2,500

Travel AccidentUp to $500,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionIncluded

Extended Warranty+1 years

Mobile DeviceUp to $1,500 / 1 years

Auto Rental CollisionUp to $65,000 / 48 days

Going through Avios

British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Finnair and Qatar Airways share the same currency, Avios. These programs book award flights on American, including transatlantic segments.

The full method sits in our guide on booking an award ticket on British Airways. Watch the carrier-imposed surcharges, however, which run high out of London.

Compare

RBC British Airways Visa Infinite

RBC British Airways Club

Annual fee: $165
Our valuationMilesopedia first-year estimate First-year valueWelcome bonus$1,000Total$1,000Rewards on your spending are not included. The calculator that adds them from your own profile is on the card's page.: $1,000
Welcome offerAfter $6,000 in 3 months: 50,000 Avios

With this exceptional welcome offer for the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card, you can earn 50,000 Avios!

With this card, you benefit from a companion voucher (by spending $30,000 or more during a calendar year). Additionally, you can enjoy a 10% discount on British Airways flights when booking with your RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card.

With the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Card, you get:

3 Avios per dollar spent with British Airways and BA Holidays
2 Avios per dollar on dining and food delivery
1 Avios per dollar for all your other purchases

In addition, you benefit from extensive insurance coverage:

Out-of-province/country emergency medical insurance
Travel Accident Insurance
Flight delay and essential items purchase insurance
Hotel or motel burglary insurance
Rental vehicle collision and damage insurance

Legal

Refer to RBC page for up to date offer terms and conditions

ˆ This offer only applies to new applications for a RBC British Airways Visa Infinite credit card received and approved by Royal Bank of Canada (“Royal Bank”), subject to the conditions below. Additional cardholders(s) (co-applicant and authorized user(s)) on the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite credit card account are not eligible for this offer. Existing cardholders on any RBC Royal Bank personal credit card account transferring to a RBC British Airways Visa Infinite credit card, are not eligible for the offer.

To receive the offer of 50,000 Avios points (“Bonus”), (i) a total of $6,000 or more (“Qualifying Transaction Amount”) in qualifying net purchases and/or pre-authorized bill payment transactions (“Qualifying Transactions”) must be posted to your Credit Card Account within the first 90 days of your Credit Card Account opening date (“Period”), and (ii) your Credit Card must remain open and in good standing, “good standing” meaning that your Credit Card Account must not be past due for more than two (2) consecutive Credit Card Account statement periods, closed, charged off or in credit revoked status at that time. If you are not currently a member of The British Airways Club, you will be enrolled automatically once you are approved for the RBC British Airways Visa Infinite credit card. Please note that the address your British Airways Club account is registered under must match the one for your RBC British Airways Visa Infinite account at all times for the Avios to be posted to your British Airways Club account. The Bonus will be awarded to your British Airways Club account, approximately 15 weeks after the date you reach $6,000 in Qualifying Transactions within the Period.

Qualifying Transactions exclude cash advances (including balance transfers, cash-like transactions and bill payments that are not pre-authorized charges that you set up with a merchant), interest charges and fees. Credits for returns and adjustments posted to your Credit Card Account during the Period will reduce the amount of your Qualifying Transactions. The Qualifying Transaction Amount is based on the transaction posting date of each Qualifying Transaction, not the transaction date. This means that transactions that take place prior to the last day of the Period will not be considered for the Qualifying Transaction Amount if they have not yet been posted or processed by the merchant, the payment network (Visa) or Royal Bank by the last day of the Period.

If you close or change your RBC British Airways Visa Infinite credit card for another type of RBC Royal Bank credit card before the Bonus has been credited to your British Airways Club account, you may lose the benefit of this offer. This offer may not be combined or used in conjunction with any other offer, except as otherwise set out. Royal Bank of Canada and British Airways reserve the right to modify, cancel or withdraw this offer at any time. British Airways, not Royal Bank of Canada, is responsible for this offer and The British Airways Club program. For all British Airways Club Terms and Conditions, please visit ba.com/theclub .

An eligible member who makes at least $30,000 CAD in eligible purchases on their card during a calendar year (a calendar year is the period starting January 1 and ending December 31) will receive a single companion voucher during that same calendar year. See ba.com/rbc-visa for full terms and conditions.

Annual fee

Primary card$165

Additional card$75

Annual income required

Individual$60,000

Household$100,000

Conversion fees

2.5%

Earning rate

2xRestaurants
1xAll spending

Value

1st Year Value$1,447

2nd Year Value$243

Card benefits

Concierge service24/7

Travel insurance

Travel medical (under 55)Included

Travel medical (55-64)Included

Travel medical (65+)Included

Delayed BaggageUp to $500

Lost BaggageUp to $500

Flight DelayUp to $500

Hotel BurglaryUp to $2,500

Travel AccidentUp to $500,000

Purchase protection

Purchase ProtectionUp to $50,000 / 90 days

Extended Warranty+1 years

Auto Rental CollisionUp to $65,000 / 48 days

Paying for the ticket with points

The third path is the simplest: pay cash for the ticket, then apply your rewards points against the transaction. Travel portals accept any carrier, American included.

This approach avoids hunting for award availability. On the other hand, the value per point is generally lower than a strong business class redemption.

What changes for Canadians?

American has run a codeshare with Porter Airlines since 2025. A trip from Toronto or Montreal to JFK, then Nice, therefore books on a single ticket.

A wider season: the flight starts May 6, ahead of peak summer pricing on the French Riviera.
One more hub: JFK joins Philadelphia for reaching Nice without going through Paris or London.
An accessible currency: AAdvantage miles remain reachable from Canada through Avion points.

No Canadian departure: you first have to reach New York or Philadelphia.
A smaller aircraft: the A321XLR holds about 180 seats, so fewer award seats.

Should you act right away?

If the French Riviera is on your 2027 plans, August 31, 2026 remains the best window. Business class award seats often disappear within days of a schedule opening.

A simple rule: find the award seat on aa.com first, then start the Avion points transfer to AAdvantage. Never the other way around, since the conversion cannot be undone.

If your trip stays hypothetical, keep your points. RBC brings back an AAdvantage transfer bonus regularly, and American’s award pricing moves with demand.

Our credit card selection
Credit card	Annual fee	Welcome offer
FeaturedRBC Avion Visa Infinite Card Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$120	Welcome offerAfter $5,000 in 6 months Up to 70,000 pointsEnds Nov 25, 2026 After $5,000 in 6 months	Apply NowCompare
RBC British Airways Visa Infinite Apply NowCompare	Annual fee$165	Welcome offerAfter $6,000 in 3 months 50,000 Avios After $6,000 in 3 months	Apply NowCompare
SponsoredTD First Class Travel^® Visa Infinite* Card Apply NowCompare	Annual feeFirst Year Annual Fee Rebate$139 $0First Year Annual Fee Rebate	Welcome offerAfter $7,500 in 6 months Up to 160,000 points After $7,500 in 6 months	Apply NowCompare

Click on a card name to open its full profile and current terms.

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Frequently asked questions about these routes

Here are questions frequently asked in the milesopedia community about American Airlines’ new routes.

When does the New York – Nice flight start?

American Airlines launches its daily service between New York JFK and Nice on May 6, 2027, on an Airbus A321XLR. The carrier opens bookings on August 31, 2026 at aa.com and in its mobile app. The exact length of the season has not been published yet.

Can you book these flights with Aeroplan?

No. American Airlines belongs to the oneworld alliance, while Aeroplan is the program of Air Canada, a Star Alliance member. The two programs are not partners. For an award flight on American, you need AAdvantage, an Avios program or another oneworld partner.

How do you earn AAdvantage miles in Canada?

No Canadian credit card earns AAdvantage miles directly. The only path runs through RBC Avion points, which Avion Elite members convert at a rate of 7 miles for 10 points, with a 5,000-point minimum per conversion. A 15% bonus applies through September 3, 2026.

What is an Airbus A321XLR?

The A321XLR is a single-aisle aircraft designed for long-haul flying. It carries about 180 passengers, compared with more than 250 on a widebody, which makes it possible to open transatlantic routes to mid-sized cities. Air Canada has flown the type since 2026.

Which other cities is American adding?

Besides Nice, the carrier is opening Porto and Vienna, its two other new destinations. It is also adding Amsterdam from JFK, Reykjavík from Philadelphia, Barcelona from Charlotte, Tokyo Narita from Chicago, plus an extra frequency between JFK and London Heathrow.

Do you need a separate ticket from Canada?

Not necessarily. American Airlines and Porter Airlines have operated a codeshare since 2025, which lets you book a Canadian leg and the transatlantic flight on one ticket. A single booking also protects your connections in case of a delay.

Should you transfer your points now?

Transfer only if you have found an available award seat on aa.com. Converting Avion points to AAdvantage is irreversible, and the miles do not come back to RBC. The 15% bonus running through September 3, 2026 improves the rate, without changing that rule of caution.