Originally Posted by
rudyjb
My guess is that if this going to be a route that starts in winter, it'll be one or more of
Cordoba (would almost certainly be from MIA),
Cape Town (would probably be from either MIA or JFK), or
Melbourne (likely from LAX). The mention of PR joining OW in this article is notable... so maybe AA will add LAX-MNL?
https://www.flightglobal.com/strateg...ter-doha-exit/
Given the a couple of 787's that are most likely "free airframes" with the removal of the PHL-DOH flight, MIA-JHB would be at the edge of the range of a 787-8 with JFK-JHB well beyond the advertised range. CPT would be perhaps 200 miles closer, but doesn't have the connections Johannesburg has. Going to Jo-berg allows potential connections to sub-Saharan Africa via Rwandair, who just happens to be 49% owned by Qatar (plus Kigali's redeveloped airport is 60% owned by Qatar).
LAX to MNL is well in range...LAX to MEL is like CPT or JHB. Cordoba seems likely to be an XLR route. The question I would have about MNL surround the airport's troubled reputation. Does AA want to play in that pond? With that being PR's hub, I could see AA taking the Doha route and not flying directly themselves.