Jan. 20--In the three-way battle to take the lead position at Los Angeles International Airport, American Airlines is adding 25 new daily flights, starting in June.
The Fort Worth-based carrier is the biggest airline at LAX, serving about 19% of the passengers at the airport, while Delta Air Lines and United Airlines each carry about 16%. Delta handles slightly more international passengers but American holds a big lead in domestic passengers, according to the most recent LAX data.
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FOR THE RECORD
An earlier version of this post said American Airlines was the third-biggest airline at LAX. American is the biggest when passenger totals are included from regional carriers and US Airways, which is working to merge with American.
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Los Angeles is a prime market for the nation's top airlines because LAX serves many big-spending business travelers, Asian tourists, entertainment executives and celebrities.
LAX, the nation's second-busiest airport, saw a record 74.5 million travelers in 2015, 5.6% growth over the previous year.
Once American's new flights are launched June 2, American will operate more than 220 daily flights out of LAX, including new service to Seattle; Portland, Ore.; Minneapolis; New Orleans and Kansas City, Mo.
The new routes, which represent a 10% increase in service from LAX, will also require American Airlines to hire 200 additional workers this year, the airline said.
"LAX is well-positioned for greater growth, and I'm pleased that American Airlines is helping to expand our global reach," Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said about the expansion.
To read more about travel, tourism and the airline industry, follow Hugo Martin on Twitter at @hugomartin.
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