American Airlines Launching Brisbane Service (Sort Of)

Intro

Back before the new Flagship Suites were set to roll out, we learnt that American Airlines planned to launch service over to Brisbane, which later ended up being delayed/cancelled.

Well, there is an interesting development here as American Airlines is set to serve Brisbane, but not for very long...

The Details

Between December 5th, 2025, and January 30th, 2026, American Airlines is set to serve the Los Angeles to Brisbane route 3x weekly with a 787-9. The American Airlines 787 being used is the older Dreamliner featuring 30 business class seats, 21 premium economy seats, and 234 economy seats.

American will operate this route on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Fridays (Westbound)/Thursdays (Eastbound) with the following schedule:

AA42: Los Angeles-Brisbane departing at 9:55 PM and arriving at 6:00 AM (+2 days)

AA43: Brisbane-Los Angeles departing at 11:30 AM and arriving at 6:30 AM

American Airlines Business Class Seat

Why Is American Only Flying This Route Shortly?

For quite a while now, American Airlines has had a trans-Pacific joint venture with the flag carrier from down under, Qantas. With Qantas seeking to expand operations to Johannesburg and Auckland in the summer months (flip the seasons), and the lack of demand in the winter months from US carriers for widebodies, my guess is that it makes more sense economically for American Airlines to fill in.

While I would love to see this route stick around (more options to Down Under are always nice), it is understandable why American doesn't serve this route year-round. Aka, their long haul network sucks.

Final Thoughts

American Airlines is set to fill in for Qantas on a 3x weekly basis from Los Angeles to Brisbane, Australia. During the December and January period, it seems that demand is high for the Qantas A330 to other destinations, and with plenty of widebody availability from US carriers, this seems like a smart temporary swap to make.