Europe might want to brace for another surge in American visitors this summer, as major US carriers roll out a wave of new non-stop flights, landing travellers straight from cities like Seattle, New York, and Philadelphia onto Mediterranean beaches, UNESCO-listed sites, and major cultural hubs.
United, Delta, American, and Alaska Airlines have all announced new routes rolling in the coming months, just in time for the peak summer season.
Delta is spearheading the expansion with a significant proportion of the new routes. From 6 May, the airline will fly from Boston to Madrid, and from 16 May to Nice. From Seattle, there will be new connections to Rome and Barcelona, both operated by Airbus A330-900neo aircraft, from 6 and 7 May, respectively.
From New York JFK, the airline is adding routes to Sardinia on 20 May, Porto on 21 May, and Malta on 7 June. These will be operated by Boeing 767-300ER aircraft.
Alaska Airlines is entering the transatlantic market with a Seattle to Rome route, which will launch on 28 April using a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
American Airlines is launching its only non-stop service between Miami and Milan on March 29. It will also expand from Philadelphia to Budapest from 21 May, with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, while adding a Dallas-Fort Worth to Athens service starting the same day.
United Airlines will introduce flights from Newark to Split on 30 April and to Bari on 1 May; both routes will be operated by Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. United Airlines will be the only US carrier offering direct service to Split.
While many of these routes are new, others already exist, such as Porto to Newark, Madrid to Boston, or Bari to Newark. US carriers will, however, hold a monopoly on non-stop services on several routes.
Travellers will “gain a day” and avoid exhausting layovers in already congested European hubs thanks to these routes, which have average flight times of just 7 to 9 hours, apart from the Miami to Milan service.
They will be able to head straight to the Adriatic coast, explore Sardinia’s coves, or wander the sun-drenched streets of Bari. New Yorkers will have direct access to Malta’s Mediterranean shores and UNESCO-listed heritage, as well as Porto and the vineyards of the Douro Valley.
Philadelphians will enjoy a direct route to Budapest, the “Pearl of the Danube”, while travellers from the West Coast can now reach Rome more easily, from the Colosseum to the Trévi Fountain.
Madrid’s Museo del Prado becomes even more accessible, with works such as Velázquez’s Las Meninas and Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights now just a flight away. Further south, Nice and its Promenade des Anglais are within easy reach.
With an estimated 35 to 40 new flights per week across these eleven routes, each with an average of 250 seats, the expansion will add around 10,000 extra seats per week. Over the 20-week summer peak period, this could result in up to 200,000 additional American visitors arriving directly in these regions.
How some of these cities, already vocal about overtourism, will absorb this influx remains an open question. Barcelona has already seen protests and restrictions on short-term rentals, and Rome regularly features on lists warning of overcrowding.
