May sees several eye-catching new routes in the transatlantic market, including services being launched by Air France, Condor, Delta Air Lines and Icelandair.
Air France is opening flights between Paris and Phoenix from May 23, marking the first nonstop route between France and the U.S. city. Operations from Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) to Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) will be three times per week during the summer season on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. A three-class Boeing 787-9 will be deployed on the 5,468-mi. (4,752-nm) sector.
The French capital becomes the third European destination to be served nonstop from Phoenix, along with Frankfurt Airport (FRA) and London Heathrow Airport (LHR). It is estimated that the new route will provide a $30 million annual economic boost to the Arizona city.
At present, American Airlines and British Airways each serve LHR daily from PHX using 777-200s and Airbus A350-1000s, respectively. From May 18, German leisure carrier Condor will also resume 3X-weekly seasonal flights from FRA onboard A330-900neos.
Condor, meanwhile, will this month become the first airline to operate flights between Europe and San Antonio International Airport (SAT), which currently only has international service to Mexico. A 3X-weekly seasonal service from FRA will operate through Sept. 6 using an A330-900neo aircraft.
SAT currently has international flights to six destinations—all of which are in Mexico—but has long courted a nonstop connection to Europe. The airport estimates the transatlantic service will have an annual economic impact of $34 million for the region, spurring new leisure and business ties.
Denver is also getting a new European connection from May 17 when Aer Lingus launches flights from Dublin Airport (DUB), becoming the only airline to serve the sector. However, the Irish carrier will face competition in the Dublin-Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) market—on which flights resumed on April 29 after a four-year hiatus—from Delta Air Lines.
Delta’s new nonstop connection will link MSP and DUB five times per week using 767-300s, beginning May 9. With the addition of this route, Delta will offer summer flights to DUB from three of its U.S. hubs—Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson, Boston Logan and MSP—in addition to year-round service from New York John F. Kennedy (JFK).
Pittsburgh Airport (PIT) will also be served four times per week by Icelandair from Reykjavik Keflavik Airport (KEF) from May 16 until the end of October using 737-8s. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s second-largest city, is a new destination for the airline and becomes the 12th point in the U.S. served by the carrier.
The 2,786-mi. (2,421-nm) route also marks PIT’s second nonstop service to Europe alongside British Airways’ 6X-weekly flights from LHR. Defunct Icelandic carrier WOW Air previously served KEF-PIT from June 2017, but flights ended shortly before the airline ceased operations in March 2019.
Elsewhere, United Airlines will open a seasonal transatlantic route between Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Athens International Airport (ATH), commencing on May 17 and operating daily through Aug. 12. The Star Alliance member will deploy 787-8s on the 5,447-mi. (4,733-nm) sector connecting O'Hare with the Greek capital. Norse Atlantic Airways is also adding transatlantic flights from ATH to JFK, as well as between CDG and Los Angeles.
Other notable new routes starting in May include WestJet’s first-ever route to South Korea’s capital Seoul. Operations between Calgary International Airport and Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN) will be three times per week, becoming the airline’s second Asia-Pacific destination after Tokyo Narita International Airport. WestJet will also be the third carrier to offer nonstop flights between Canada and South Korea, alongside Air Canada and Korean Air, but it will be the only operator of Calgary-Seoul flights.
Meanwhile, South Korean hybrid carrier Air Premia will begin service between Seoul and San Francisco. The move means the airline will fly to three U.S. destinations from May as it steadily increases its North American network. It will compete on the 5,642-mi. (4,903-nm) route with Asiana Airlines, Korean Air and United Airlines.
This month also sees Air China become the third Chinese airline to schedule flights to Saudi Arabia, following the entry of China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines in April. Additionally, Alaska Airlines is launching its inaugural flights to Toronto from its Seattle hub. Toronto will become the sixth city in Canada served by the Oneworld alliance member, together with to Calgary, Edmonton, Kelowna, Vancouver and Victoria.
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