American Airlines selects Seattle for first direct US flight to Bangalore

American Airlines Group said Thursday it would launch its first direct US flight to Bangalore from Seattle, a new route meant to meet corporate customers’ demand for travel to the centre of India’s high-tech industry. As part of the launch targeted for October, American is expanding its codeshare with Seattle-based Alaska Airlines, which is expected to help feed passengers on American’s international routes out of the city. “Bangalore is one of our highest demand destinations for our corporate accounts, really all over the country,” said Vasu Raja, American’s senior VP of network strategy. The partnership with Alaska will provide connections through Seattle to Bangalore from 100 US cities, he said, citing demand from markets as vast as Boston, Raleigh, Austin, Chicago and the West Coast. The new Bangalore route, which American plans to service with a Boeing 787-9, will be the carrier’s only US flight to India since it stopped flying to Delhi in 2012.<br/>