May is set to be one of the busiest months of the year for transatlantic route launches, with airlines across North America and Europe opening a wave of new services.
Carriers including Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Finnair and Aer Lingus are all launching new links as airlines continue to prioritize higher-yield long-haul markets.
After launching its first-ever route to Europe with Seattle-Rome in late April, Alaska Airlines will add daily Seattle-London Heathrow service on May 21 using Boeing 787-9 aircraft, followed by seasonal daily flights to Reykjavik Keflavik on May 28.
The London launch places Alaska into one of Seattle’s most competitive long-haul markets, where British Airways, Delta and Virgin Atlantic already offer about 14,700 two-way weekly seats, according to OAG Schedules Analyser data. Reykjavik, meanwhile, adds a seasonal option that serves both premium leisure demand and onward European connectivity through Icelandair’s hub.
Delta is responding to Alaska’s long-haul push from Seattle. The carrier will launch a 4X-weekly Seattle-Rome service on May 6, followed by 3X-weekly Seattle-Barcelona flights on May 7, both operated using Airbus A330neos. The additions expand Delta’s transatlantic network from Seattle to five destinations, alongside Amsterdam, Paris Charles de Gaulle and London Heathrow.
Elsewhere, Delta is adding seasonal service from Boston to Madrid on May 16 and Nice on May 17, both operated using A330neos, while also launching new summer routes from New York JFK to Olbia in Sardinia and Porto.
United Airlines is adding several niche European markets this month, continuing its strategy of targeting secondary cities with limited nonstop competition. The carrier launched Newark-Split on April 30 and will follow with Newark-Bari on May 1, daily Washington Dulles-Reykjavik on May 21 and Newark-Santiago de Compostela on May 27. United also resumes Newark-Glasgow on May 8.
American Airlines is also expanding in Europe, launching daily seasonal service from Philadelphia to Budapest and Prague on May 21 using 787-8s. Both routes add new Central European destinations to American’s Philadelphia hub and make the carrier the only U.S. airline serving Budapest nonstop. On the same day, American will also begin daily Dallas/Fort Worth-Athens service using 777-300ER aircraft, while limited summer service from Dallas/Fort Worth to Zurich will also begin in May.
JetBlue is adding another European destination from Boston with the launch of daily seasonal service to Milan Malpensa on May 11 using A321neos. The route adds competition to a market that only returned in 2025 and gives the carrier another opportunity to deploy its narrowbody long-haul model in a premium leisure market.
Aer Lingus is also adding a new long-haul narrowbody route from May 25, connecting Dublin with Pittsburgh using A321LRs. Flights will be year-round. The airline joins British Airways and Icelandair in providing European service from Pittsburgh.
Additionally, Finnair will return to Canada this month for the first time in more than a decade, launching 3X-weekly Helsinki-Toronto service on May 4 using A330-300 aircraft. The route is the only nonstop link between Finland and Canada and reflects the airline’s continued shift westward as Russian airspace restrictions continue to reshape its long-haul strategy.
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