American Airlines plans to ramp up service to and from Louisville, Kentucky, to accommodate traffic from the country’s most famous horse race.
The carrier announced Friday that it will temporarily expand service from seven airports that already connect to Louisville and add special flights from 13 other cities that ordinarily do not.
This year, the Kentucky Derby falls on May 2. Most of American’s added flights to Louisville are scheduled for April 30 and May 1, with return flights set for May 3.
Travelers departing Boston; Charlotte, North Carolina; Chicago O’Hare; Dallas/Fort Worth; Miami; Philadelphia; and Washington National will have access to more flights and larger aircraft during Derby week, officials said. All seven of those airports have regular scheduled service to Louisville via American year-round.
The 13 markets with temporary service leading up to and after the race are Austin, Texas; Houston; Jacksonville, Florida; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; New Orleans; New York-JFK; New York-LaGuardia; Phoenix; Pittsburgh; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; Santa Ana, California; and West Palm Beach, Florida.
American said it will more than double the number of flights it normally operates at Louisville on peak days before and after the race, with 41 arriving flights on April 30 and 46 departing flights on May 3.
