NASSAU, Bahamas (CMC)— American Airlines has announced it is expanding its service into The Bahamas, adding a new direct route out of Austin, Texas.

The airline revealed in a statement on Wednesday that beginning in May, it is introducing new non-stop Saturday flights between Austin and Nassau.

“As international demand has been slower to recover, American’s international capacity will be down approximately 20 per cent compared to the same period in 2019. The airline remains committed to serving as many international destinations as possible and will continue to offer more flights to more destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean than any other airline,” American Airlines stated.

“American is using wide-body aircraft to match demand from Miami International Airport (MIA); thus, short-haul markets in Latin America and the Caribbean will see select flights operating on Boeing 777s and 787-8s this summer.”

American Airlines resumed regular flights to The Bahamas last October from MIA to Eleuthera, Freeport and George Town.

The airline also flies to Nassau from Dallas, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Los Angeles and Boston, among others.

Flight trends, based on destination searches for flight bookings, have shown a steady increase in travellers’ interest in The Bahamas, with Kayak.com showing a more than 30 per cent improvement in March and April over December 2020.

Earlier this month, Minister of Tourism and Aviation Dionisio D’Aguilar said March was the busiest month for travel to The Bahamas since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, based on the approximately 60,000 travel visas approved by the ministry.