From Jan. 29 through Feb. 13, demand for Valentine's Day flowers marks one of the busiest seasons for American Airlines Cargo, and team members around the world rose to the occasion this year.
On average, the airline ships more than 1 million lbs. of flowers during this time each year. And the floral love keeps on growing, especially in Amsterdam. This year American moved 417 tons of cut flowers from the Dutch capital, or 920,000 lbs. – a 15% increase over the 358 tons (790,000 lbs.) of flowers moved in 2019.
From the farm to the famous Aalsmeer flower auction, exporters buy the blooms to send off around the world. From there, American either flies them directly to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) or trucks them to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to be flown to destinations such as New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas/Fort Worth, New York, Los Angeles, and Miami.
While Amsterdam and London are both top exporters for the Valentine’s rush, Miami also plays a large role in flower traffic during this time of year.
In 2019, American shipped 235,000 lbs. pounds of flowers – notably roses and gypsophilia (baby's breath) from its Miami hub during the two weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day. Many of these shipments originated in South America – primarily Quito, Ecuador, and Bogota, Colombia – destined for the U.S. and other international locations.
American's role in moving flowers truly helps play a role in giving the people of the world some'bud'y to love.
About American Airlines Cargo
American Airlines Cargo provides one of the largest cargo networks in the world with cargo terminals and interline connections across the globe. Every day, American transports cargo between major cities in the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Latin America and Asia.
About American Airlines Group
American Airlines offers customers 6,800 daily flights to more than 365 destinations in 61 countries from its hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. With a shared purpose of caring for people on life's journey, American's 130,000 global team members serve more than 200 million customers annually. Since 2013, American has invested more than $28 billion in its product and people and now flies the youngest fleet among U.S. network carriers, equipped with industry-leading high-speed Wi-Fi, lie-flat seats, and more inflight entertainment and access to power. American also has enhanced food and beverage options in the air and on the ground in its world-class Admirals Club and Flagship lounges. American was recently named a Five Star Global Airline by the Airline Passenger Experience Association and Airline of the Year by Air Transport World. American is a founding member of oneworld®, whose members serve 1,100 destinations in 180 countries and territories. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL and the company's stock is included in the S&P 500. Learn more about what's happening at American by visiting news.aa.com and connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines.