DFW-LGA Schedule Oddity - 2 am flights?
 

AA2224 appears on the schedule for just March 14 and March 21, departing DFW 2:00am, arriving LGA 6:10am.
AA490 to BOS, AA2377 to DCA, and AA2587 to PHL, all departing DFW just before midnight March 13 and 20, arriving at their destinations ~4am.

Any idea why the unusual times (at least by U.S. standards, since this is pretty usual down in South America)? I thought maybe some one-off positioning flight but it's showing up two weeks in a row to multiple destinations.

Probably equipment positioning after MX work on the birds. I guess HQ decided to run them at revenue flights instead of non-published AA 9xxx flight numbers. Might pick up a few misconnects and other pax willing to fly at that hour. At minimum, they could sell seats for rock-bottom fares to recoup some of the expenses of moving the aircraft.

Looks like AA 2224 is currently a MSP-ORD mid-morning flight.

Pretty likely just extra sections for all the spring-breakers returning from southern climes. I noticed that UA had a few odd-ball red-eye's back around the holidays on IAH-DTW that departed around 2:00AM.

It's Easter week. We saw extra sections like this around Thanksgiving and Christmas as well. The pmUS management was known for doing things like this.

Easter is Sunday is March 27. BUT these are all about spring break and the peak travel demand that brings to the network, which is what you were alluding to.

For us LAA folks, they're odd flights, but PMUS used to run these weird flights more often on peak days. Sure enough, New AA does it as well.

AS mentioned, pmUS traditionally runs some late banks around Thanksgiving and spring break. PHX-FLL usually picks up a redeye, and this year there's an awful-on-both-ends DWF-FLL redeye that departs 11:59 PM and arrives 3:37 AM.

I'm going to disagree with you and agree with those who gave the more likely correct answer of "spring break."

How do I know? Because old AA performed "MX work" on its birds yet never (not in the Carty/Arpey/Horton era) scheduled 2 am redeye DFW departures to LGA.

These are spring break flights, just like the odd-timed late evening/overnight Thanksgiving eve and Christmas season flights we saw late last year. IIRC, there were also similar odd flights around the Memorial Day and Labor Day holidays.

Of the Parker/Kirby changes, I agree completely with these. With hub airports open 24/7, there's no need for AA to operate its domestic schedule solely between 0600 and 2200 when there are passengers willing to fly overnight.

Makes perfect sense too...gives AA a full day to gather all the stragglers coming in from the beaches in Mexico, etc., sort them out, and then ship them off to The City. Who knows, this whole plane could be loaded with just people who missed their earlier flights due to hangovers. :p

Long time lurker and decided I need to start contributing.

These are likely additional flights due to the time of the year but also LGA has a curfew from midnight-6am. That is most likely why the flights don't leave DFW with the others before midnight.

Its a good way to avoid massive oversells. However, what a horrible red eye to take. IIRC the DFW ACs close around 10PM.

Doubt the spring break crowd includes many AC members.

I'm not sure where they come from and how but the MIA ACs in March and early April are only missing the keg of beer, the bong, and the girls running around in string bikinis. I'm really looking forward to seeing people stretch out passed out on the couches.

And more importantly, when they are also willing to pay more for their tickets.

Now college kids don't even need to buy the $50 day pass... just need Mommy or Daddy to add them as an authorized user on the Citi AA World Elite MC! :D

As of 12/2015: