American Airlines Ends Boeing 737 MAX Flights Between Sacramento & Miami

American Airlines will discontinue its service between Miami International Airport (MIA) and Sacramento International Airport (SMF) next year. The route initially launched in late 2023 as a year-round service before transitioning to a seasonal flight, but it will not be returning next summer.

The carrier connects Sacramento to some of its biggest hubs, including Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth and Phoenix, as well as operating seasonal flights from Chicago O’Hare.

American Ends Miami-Sacramento Flights

Credit: Shutterstock

Looking at scheduling data from aviation analytics company Cirium, the US carrier has decided to end its transcontinental service between Miami and California’s Sacramento next summer. Having operated its final flight on this route in early August, scheduling data shows that plans to resume service next summer have been canceled.

The carrier had been using its Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft on this route. With a distance of 2,210 NM (4,090 km), the journey has a typical flight time of around six hours. American was due to restart daily flights in mid-May 2026 through to August on a route it has been operating for less than 18 months.

It isn’t clear exactly why American has chosen to stop this route, which was one of just two Florida connections to Sacramento. Miami is American’s third-largest hub behind Dallas/Fort Worth and Charlotte, functioning as a busy gateway to the Caribbean and Latin America. Simple Flying has reached out to American Airlines for comment and will update this story accordingly.

Sacramento Connections Dwindling

Credit: Shutterstock

American was the only operator flying between Sacramento and Miami, which was one of just two routes to Florida, the other being services to Orlando courtesy of Southwest and Alaska Airlines.

With the removal of Miami from its Sacramento network, mainline American now serves Charlotte (CLT), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), and Phoenix–Sky Harbor (PHX), along with seasonal service to Chicago–O’Hare (ORD), while regional franchise American Eagle flies to Los Angeles (LAX) and Phoenix–Sky Harbor (PHX).

Sacramento International consists of two passenger terminals – Terminal A and Terminal B – and has a total of 32 passenger gates across the two terminals. Southwest is by the far the dominant carrier in Sacramento with almost 60% of the market. The airport oversaw its busiest-ever year in 2024, with over 13.6 million passengers served, a 5% increase from 2023, and presently handles around 180 daily flights.

American’s Boeing 737 MAX Fleet

Credit: Shutterstock

American’s 737 MAX 8 aircraft can accommodate up to 172 passengers in two cabin classes – 16 in domestic first and 156 in economy, which includes 24 Main Cabin Extra seats offering additional legroom. Domestic first features four rows of recliner seats in a 2-2 configuration, while the economy cabin is in a typical 3-3 configuration with a seat pitch of 30 inches.

American Airlines has a sizable and growing fleet of 737 MAX 8 aircraft to complement its extensive 737-800 fleet. The airline currently has less than 80 MAX 8s at its disposal, which operate alongside over 300 737-800 models. American is one of the largest MAX 8 operators worldwide, although its fleet is eclipsed by fellow US carriers Southwest Airlines and United Airlines.

The carrier will also be a future MAX 10 operator once that aircraft is certified, with outstanding orders for at least 115 airframes for the stretched MAX. In fact, American has the second-largest orderbook for the MAX 10 behind rival United Airlines, while Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines also hold significant orders for the type. United Airlines had initially hoped to be the launch customer of the MAX 10, but ongoing certification delays have led the carrier to push back its first deliveries until 2027 or 2028.