Why American Airlines Abandoned Its WEIRD Island Empire

American Airlines in the 1980s was on a radical expansion spree, launching new hubs across the country in cities like Nashville, Raleigh Durham, and Silicon Valley. But one of their most ambitious moves happened somewhere nobody expected — a Caribbean island. What followed was a decades-long operation that saw widebody jets descend on San Juan, Puerto Rico, with a fleet of small turboprops ready to fan out to nearly every island destination in the region. At its peak, American and American Eagle were running over 160 daily flights from a single hub in paradise, quietly dominating the entire Caribbean in a way that most people have completely forgotten. This is the story of how that empire was built, how it thrived for twenty-five years, and what finally brought it down. Sources and credits: (all footage is used under U.S. copyright doctrine (Section 107) allowing limited, unlicensed use of copyrighted materials for teaching/educational purposes, research, and scholarship.) Photo credit: Toshiro Hara Video credit(s): BlueRockerPR Join my channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/theavidaviato... Want to earn more Delta SkyMiles for free? Here’s a referral link for Delta's Amex co-branded card if you’re interested. If you get approved for a card through my link, I could earn miles, which helps me plan new flight reviews! Link: https://americanexpress.com/en-us/ref... Want to earn United MileagePlus points for free? Here’s a referral link for United's Chase co-branded card if you’re interested. If you get approved for a card through my link, I could earn miles, which helps me plan new flight reviews! Link: https://www.referyourchasecard.com/21... Want to earn as much as 175,000 Amex Membership Reward points? Here's a referral link for American Express's premier Platinum card, complete with lounge access, bonus offer, and thousands of dollars in credits. If you get approved for a card through my link, I could earn miles, which helps me plan new flight reviews! Link: https://americanexpress.com/en-us/ref... Check out my Amazon Storefront to see the equipment I utilize and recommend: https://www.amazon.com/shop/theavidav... I may receive commission for eligible purchases Thank you to my current member(s) for supporting my channel: Level 1: Howard Lutz nilsen1964 MrMigueldelaO ChavandPosh Gandarfa Vinay Bhaskara Eric Gould H. Ito Pedro Lopes Danilo Campos Michael Wald Colton Mathews Level 2: Salman Alkhalifa Level 3: GaryinAmsterdam Captain787aa Level 4: Strickland325 Level 6: Christopher Zimmer (VIP member) Extra tags/hashtags: #aviation #documentary #aviationdocumentary American Airlines history, San Juan hub, SJU Puerto Rico, Caribbean aviation, American Eagle ATR-72, Trans Caribbean Airways, JetBlue Puerto Rico, airline hub history, aviation history documentary, American Airlines Caribbean routes, Luis Muñoz Marín Airport, airline hub collapse