The Most Exciting New Airline Routes Added In 2024

Air travel is such an important part of modern culture. It forms the backbone for how we visit friends and family, explore the world around us, and even conduct business. Consumers rely on air freight to bring almost everything they use either to their doorstep or to the shelves of local retailers. FedEx alone operates a fleet of nearly 700 cargo aircraft, delivering goods across the country and bringing in global products at a blistering pace. 

But this story isn't about the travel habits of cargo goods! No, we're discussing commuter air routes coming to the marketplace (or newly added and now operating) in 2024. The seasons are ticking over, and travelers are itching to explore new destinations across the country and the world. Whether it's a cold weather jaunt in a place like Lapland to kickstart the Christmas holiday spirit or a warm weather getaway to stave off the frigid temperatures back home for just a bit longer, these routes are sure to excite just about any traveler.

Many of these routes are good for business, too! Small business owners often rejoice when a new direct route emerges to bring distant travelers to their streets. The more tourist traffic that flows into a city, the livelier the community often becomes. These routes are great for adventurers seeking out their next destination, and plenty of them will provide new cultural depth and crucial tourism dollars to American communities.

American Airlines is the largest airline in the United States by numerous metrics (most destinations, largest fleet, highest passenger load, etc.). The airline serves over 350 destinations across 6 continents and routinely makes tweaks and adjustments to its routes. Part of those changes include adding new flight options that help passengers get where they're going with less hassle. One such route is the addition of winter flights from New York's LaGuardia airport to a number of warm weather destinations down south, perhaps most notably, Orlando. The flights will begin on November 5, 2024, and operate until May 4, 2025

This route brings plenty of great travel possibilities to two major markets. Floridian travelers are often within driving distance of Orlando, commanding a nearly two-hour journey from Tampa, for instance (just 84 miles separates the two urbanized communities). This gives Floridians another option when heading up to New York to see staples of the winter season. These include the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center or Times Square and Central Park blanketed in snow (Saratoga Springs, in upstate New York, is also consistently ranked at the top of holiday travel lists). Conversely, a direct flight down to Orlando offers a great way for New Yorkers and those flying through the Big Apple to see the Mouse and his cast members (including the parks' iconic character performers).

Another Orlando route, this time with Delta. The new London-Orlando flight will connect travelers from across the pond to the riches of Disney World and the town's other monumentally entertaining theme parks. Delta Air Lines announced this new route in June, with the first departure on October 26, 2024. The route will connect London Heathrow to central Florida on four weekly flights that will run until March 29, 2025. The flights are in partnership with Virgin Atlantic, but the itinerary calls for an A330-900neo as the jet of choice, delivering a first-rate experience with every transatlantic voyage. In fact, this might even be a great opportunity to collect a new Delta trading card!

The flight route will open up more European travel for those originating in Florida. This will occur alongside Delta's other new services from Orlando to Amsterdam and Tampa to Amsterdam. It promises to make for another option to get Londoners over to Disney World, this time without long layovers in Newark, JFK, or elsewhere.

Iceland is a winter paradise that has long been a highlight of many travelers' bucket lists. Home to Europe's largest national park, this island nation is a relatively tiny land and has a small population (300,000 inhabitants and roughly the size of Ohio). United Airlines previously flew this route between 2018 and 2022. Moreover, with the collapse of the budget airline Wow Air, which handled a considerable amount of travel between Iceland and both mainland Europe and North America until 2019, a return of flights from a major carrier is great news.

Iceland was, at least for a time, praised as a unique and highly rewarding stopover point when crossing the Atlantic in either direction. With plenty of options for flying to and from Iceland's major air travel hub, spending a few days in this truly remote nation was entirely possible, and Iceland actively pushed itself into this role. With a new option for making a landing midway across the ocean, travelers have plenty of reasons to split their European travel in half and explore the Blue Lagoon or some of Iceland's frozen majesty. It's, of course, an advantageous destination for travelers seeking a primary vacation spot, too. Hurry, though; this particular flight will only be in operation for the season and ends on October 26. Here's hoping it makes a return next spring again, though!

Jet Blue is a unique asset to travelers seeking a happy medium between affordable and cheerful and a more comfortable, full-service travel experience. The airline delivers quality seat space and serves over 100 destinations in North America and its surrounding areas (mainly in the Caribbean, but destinations include Cartagena and Bogota in Colombia, among other South American cities). Add to this list Bonaire and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, destinations scattered along the northern coast of South America. The Bonaire route will begin flying into Flamingo International Airport from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on November 5, 2024 (operating Tuesdays and Saturdays). Flying to St. Vincent and the Grenadines' Argyle International Airport on a Jet Blue aircraft is already possible, with the route launching on October 9, 2024 (available Wednesdays and Sundays).

Both these tropical destinations add tremendous vacation power to the quiver of New Yorkers looking to get away from the Baltic conditions found in the northeast during the winter. When the mercury begins to recede back into the thermometer, New Yorkers have frequently fled to warmer conditions down south. Many vacation in Florida or Arizona, but the Caribbean has become an "it" destination for shorter hops to soak in a few last rays of sun before accepting the shorter days and wintery weather. Once these routes are active, Jet Blue will bring travelers from its New York hub to more than 25 countries in the Caribbean region, providing plenty of choice for vacationers.

Breeze Airways is a new entrant to the low-cost aviation sector. Established in 2021, the airline has continued to roll out new destinations and service coverage. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, the airline's map instead focuses on destinations up and down the East Coast, with additional service to locations like Provo and Phoenix. One new route in Breeze's logbook is an exciting one for travelers seeking an escape to a great northeastern town. Starting on October 4, 2024, Breeze Airways will connect passengers directly from Fort Myers to Burlington, Vermont, a charming lakeside town that's sure to get your autumn spirits really firing.

In the same way that plenty of snowbirds travel south in the wintertime to escape the bitter temperatures and the need to work around snowy conditions, Floridians often seek a bit of autumn and winter extravagance. If only for a long weekend, these flights will allow those in the warmer southern state to experience the charm of small-town New England for seriously low prices. Breeze Airways' flights will run twice weekly between the two cities and start at just $79 one way, making a trip to hit the beach or watch the fall color changes take effect an affordable option.

Announced just recently, Aer Lingus — the national airline of Ireland — will transport passengers on the lengthy voyage from the island nation's capital, Dublin, straight to Sin City! A Dublin-Las Vegas route is perfect for Irish travelers hoping to explore this wonderfully unique slice of American tourism and culture. The route will run from October 25, 2024, to April 29, 2025, and includes three weekly departures that coincide distinctly with sporting schedules and the Electric Daisy Carnival, among other magnetic tourist draws to the area. Heading the other way, American travelers on the West Coast now have yet another option when heading away to explore the Wild Atlantic Way or pull a pint at the Guinness Storehouse.

The flights start at €479 (roughly $518) with a return included, offering travelers quite good value considering the distance. Making things more enticing for international jet setters, Dublin International Airport features U.S. preclearance elements. This means you'll clear customs and have your passport stamped for entry to the United States before you step on the plane in Ireland's ancient east. For flyers heading over to experience Vegas and Americans returning home, this streamlines the process tremendously when you arrive on the other side. Catching onward flights or simply leaving the airport is so much smoother with this task already completed.

SAS, the flagship carrier for a collection of Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Sweden, and Norway), flies a wide range of routes that connect nearly 120 destinations. June 17, 2024, saw it add a few more, with a direct flight from Atlanta to Copenhagen taking off every day. Moreover, SAS became a member of the SkyTeam alliance (helmed, in a sense, by Delta, which uncoincidentally makes its home in Atlanta). Flights will depart from Copenhagen at 1:10 p.m. local time and arrive in Atlanta at 5:10 p.m. EST. The turnaround will take just under two hours, with a departure from Atlanta at 7:00 p.m. and an arrival in Copenhagen the next morning at 10:20, every day from Monday to Sunday.

The route unlocks great potential for American travelers to traverse a gem of European culture and a centrally located destination close to many other popular travel spots in Western Europe. This makes the flight a solid choice for travelers looking to make a big jump over the Atlantic on their way to explore more of Europe or for Copenhagen-specific travel (a great spot for food lovers and waterfront gawkers alike). Heading the other way, Atlanta is one of the busiest airports in the world, with direct flights to 241 destinations, including 157 domestic routes. Essentially, a traveler coming from Western Europe can get to nearly anywhere in the United States and a huge swath of the overall North American sphere of travel accessibility with a direct flight landing in Atlanta. It's a big win for flyers heading in either direction!

Barcelona is a top travel destination for summer holidaymakers in the United States and in Europe. Fortunately for those in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, a direct route connecting home to this Catalonian haven of culture and excitement came to the skies in the summer of 2024. The flight will cover an 11-hour journey, so it's not exactly for the faint of heart. However, a direct route to one of the most extravagant holiday destinations in Western Europe is certainly a net positive for flyers, even when it demands a lengthy voyage. The itinerary went live for American Airlines flyers on June 5, 2024.

This route joins a busy schedule of other flights departing DFW for Western Europe, including a twice-daily departure headed to Madrid. Even with this alternative in place already, the Spanish capital is far away from this northeastern explosion of cultural exuberance. Other European flights from Dallas include Rome, Frankfurt, and Amsterdam. It's no surprise that American Airlines, the undisputed champion of American air travel dominance in terms of volume and network connectivity, would add another phenomenal star to its long list of flight choices.

Air Canada's Toronto to Stockholm route was brought back into existence on June 12, 2024. This is a welcome addition for Canadian travelers, and it's a great connection option for those coming from farther west (or south) in the United States or elsewhere. The route will feature two weekly departures from Toronto in conjunction with three flights from Montreal per week (also launching on June 12). Air Canada has consistently sought to bring travelers from these eastern hubs (that area is also strategically valuable for Americans heading across the Atlantic) to Scandinavia. Its first flights to Copenhagen launched in 2010, and direct routes to Stockholm followed shortly after.

Flight schedules on this route will begin with departures from Toronto (YYZ) at 8:30 p.m. local time on Wednesdays and Saturdays, arriving in Stockholm at 10:05 a.m. the next morning local time. Return journeys will leave Stockholm on Thursdays and Sundays at 12:15 p.m. and arrive in Toronto the same day at 2:35 p.m. local time (giving flyers the full advantage of time adjustments on the way back). In perusing the itinerary here, it would appear that Montreal flights might be somehow linked to the elongated flight routes taken by individual planes tasked with these transatlantic departures. Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays are departure days for Montreal. This will make flights from Toronto to Montreal a little more readily available, too. The large Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft has been employed in these routes, potentially traversing the short hop up the St. Lawrence River to connect the two.

Seattle is home to potentially the best air travel hub in North America. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (known as Sea-Tac) is a highly rated travel hub that took Skytrax's best airport designation for North America in both 2022 and 2023. Flights departing from the Emerald City land in 24 countries and 137 unique destinations. The new connection from Philippine Airlines adds a direct option to explore this Pacific nation comprised of nearly 8,000 islands. It's a 14-hour flight, so the journey can be quite cumbersome for those unprepared for such long-haul voyages. 

However, there are just five other direct routes from mainland North America (three in the United States), so an added option is hugely welcome. It saves on the need to transfer to an unfamiliar airport and provides a greater segment of American travelers with a single-flight option to one of Asia's most compelling adventure destinations. From the nightlife in Boracay to amazing dive sites on islands like Cebu and Palawan (both of which we recommend!), a trip to the Philippines is an unforgettable experience.

The flights began on October 2, 2024, and will operate initially on a three-flight schedule each week (Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays from Manila). Philippine Airlines points out that the newly added route is also a boon for Filipinos hoping to explore or visit family in the Pacific Northwest, with nearly a quarter of a million Filipino-Americans calling Oregon and Washington state home.

United Airlines announced in August that it was establishing the first transcontinental airline to provide direct flights between Newark (EWR) and Marrakesh, a historic Moroccan city along Africa's northwestern coast. Flights are slated to begin on October 24, 2024, and depart three times per week (on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from Newark). This route is exciting for travelers hoping to see this historically meteoric regional culture (one that influences the fabric of southern Spain to this day, for instance).

The flight time is roughly seven and a half hours to cross the Atlantic and head south toward the tropics, and prices are starting at $658 one way from Newark in the opening weeks of service. Departure time is slated for 9:45 p.m. local time in Newark, so it's conveniently lined up for an overnight transit that gets travelers on the ground and moving about for a full day of adventure when they land.

October 2024 is a month full of new route openings as tourists seeking a reprieve from the shifting weather head to more tropical climes. But it has also been a time for exciting announcements. While it's not a 2024 route addition, Delta Airlines announced in early October that it would be resuming its connection between Los Angeles International and Shanghai Pudong International Airport in June 2025. In September, Delta and United both requested extensions to the dormancy waivers granted to them for flights operating between the United States and mainland China. Delta specifically aimed to cover the winter months from late October through to the end of March 2025. These waivers were granted during the pandemic, which was the reason for the route's suspension in the first place.

Delta has set four routes to Shanghai on hold and hasn't flown the LAX-PVG connection specifically since 2020. While living in Shanghai, we flew on three of Delta's U.S. connections to Pudong (Atlanta, Detroit, and Los Angeles). The LAX flight is particularly valuable since it's the shortest of the three and serves such a massive travel community on the West Coast. Coupled with the large Asian-American community found in California and the West more broadly (about 45% of the entire demographic), the re-establishment of this link is welcoming news.