Exciting new airline routes from March 2024 and beyond
The airline network planners closed out the first quarter of 2024 with a bang.
Most major U.S. carriers made at least one network announcement in March, and some, like JetBlue Airways and Spirit Airlines, made much more sweeping changes to their route maps.
You'll catch all of the exciting route news — including all the new flights and the ones that won't survive another season — below.
Alaska Airlines
Alaska added just one new route, but that didn't stop the carrier from making headlines. The airline is adding service from Las Vegas to California's Sonoma County.
Though you might not think much of this 454-mile route, Alaska is going up against upstart Avelo Airlines in this market. Alaska is no stranger to a turf war, so it's possible that the airline's expansion is aimed at curbing Avelo's growth in Santa Rosa, California.
American Airlines
American didn't actually unveil any new routes or cut any flights, but it did make two noteworthy network changes.
The first is that the airline's route from New York to Rome will be upgauged to the Boeing 777-300ER during the peak summer season. This brings more premium capacity to this already popular route, so flyers might have a better shot of finding award or upgrade availability.
Also in New York, American will begin stationing the Boeing 787 Dreamliner at its John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) hub. The carrier will fly from JFK to India using the 787 beginning later this year.
- American upgrades NYC-to-Rome route with first class
- American debuts Boeing 787 Dreamliners in New York for the first time
Avelo Airlines
Avelo continues to grow by adding new lines and dots to its route map. The carrier added three new routes from its base at New Haven, Connecticut, as well as its first-ever service to Lakeland, Florida — an airport that hasn't seen commercial service in 12 years.
Lakeland sits between Tampa and Orlando and is seen as a strategic move by Avelo to diversify its Florida portfolio.
- Avelo gives Florida's Lakeland airport its first commercial airline service in 12 years
- Avelo to launch 3 more New Haven routes, first service to home city
Breeze Airways
Breeze had a big month that didn't just focus on new routes. The airline launched a cobranded credit card, began a revamp of its frequent flyer program and also added five new cities to its network, including Bangor, Maine, and Dallas-Fort Worth.
Delta Air Lines
March wasn't a great month for Delta's network. The airline shaved a handful of flights from its Los Angeles schedule, including service to London; Bozeman, Montana; and Vail, Colorado. Delta also ended its point-to-point experiment in New York's Westchester County, where it flew to Orlando and West Palm Beach, Florida.
Delta did add one new flight, though — a regional connection between Detroit and Fort Wayne, Indiana.
- Delta cuts 3 routes from Los Angeles, adds new regional flight from Detroit
- Delta slashes 4 routes, including LA-London, Westchester experiment
Frontier Airlines
Frontier made headlines again for a big expansion in the New York area. The Denver-based carrier is returning to Newark in June, and it'll also open a new outstation at JFK.
Frontier is launching flights from these airports to San Juan, Puerto Rico. It wasn't immediately clear how Frontier was able to get slots at the congested JFK airport.
JetBlue Airways
Without the Spirit merger, JetBlue began plotting its path to profitability with a major route announcement. The update sees JetBlue pulling out of four cities and cutting a large chunk of short-haul routes from Los Angeles, effectively ending the carrier's quest to turn LAX into a West Coast focus city, or hub, of sorts.
This likely isn't the only network announcement coming from JetBlue, as industry insiders expect the carrier to make further tweaks to its route map in the coming weeks.
Silver Airways
Silver Airways is scrapping a route before it even begins.
The carrier filed plans to cut service between Key West and Fort Myers in Florida before service was even supposed to commence in April, Cirium schedules show. This route was just announced in February.
Spirit Airlines
Spirit Airlines is also trying to turn itself around, especially now that the JetBlue merger is officially dead. The airline has been busy tweaking its network, and March saw some more noteworthy changes.
This includes adding nine new routes — Boston; Portland, Oregon; and Salt Lake City are the big winners. Furthermore, the airline cut 13 routes just a few days after a big expansion.
- Spirit adds 9 new routes in latest network adjustment
- Spirit Airlines cuts 13 routes just days after big expansion
Southwest Airlines
Southwest extended its schedule through the peak winter holiday season, and as part of that, made some network adjustments.
This includes cutting service between Los Angeles and Hawaii (which is expected to resume in the coming years, according to a carrier spokesperson), as well as adding three new seasonal flights.
Southwest is also working on technology to help it offer red-eye flights for the first time in its history.
- Southwest cuts popular Hawaii route, adds 3 new seasonal flights
- Southwest Airlines to offer first red-eye flights in coming years
United Airlines
United's network planners are among the busiest teams at the airline. The carrier debuted three splashy new routes, including its first-ever service to Marrakech, Morocco; Medellin, Colombia; and Cebu, Philippines.
That last route will be operated by a Boeing 737 from Tokyo, and it'll be timed perfectly with connections from the U.S. mainland.
Closer to home, United also filed plans to connect its Washington, D.C., hub at Dulles International Airport (IAD) with Mobile, Alabama — a big win for locals based in Mobile.
Gol Airlines
Gol Airlines, which is based in Brazil, will connect Orlando with Fortaleza beginning in June with once-weekly flights.
This 3,604-mile service will be operated by a Boeing 737 MAX, and at nearly 8 1/2 hours, this represents one of the longest (and most uncomfortable) routes operated by a MAX worldwide.
Hainan Airlines
If Hainan gets its way, the carrier will launch the first new route from the U.S. to China since the pandemic began.
The Haikou, China-based airline proposed to the U.S. Department of Transportation that it launch flights between Seattle and Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (CKG).
We're still waiting on the final ruling, and we'll report back when it's issued.
Porter Airlines
Porter continues to grow its network with new routes from Los Angeles and San Francisco to Montreal.
Porter will operate each of these routes with its brand-new Embraer E195-E2 jets, which seat 132 passengers in a 2-2 configuration.
Norse Atlantic Airways
Transatlantic low-cost carrier Norse Atlantic announced that it would connect London Gatwick Airport (LGW) with Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas. This three-times-weekly flight kicks off in September and will be operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
As an Easter egg, Norse is calling this Flight 777, in a nod to Vegas' famous lucky numbers.
Starlux Airlines
Taiwanese luxury carrier Starlux announced that it would begin flights to Seattle in August. Starlux will operate an Airbus A350-900 in the market.
Seattle represents the carrier's third U.S. destination since launching flights to Los Angeles and San Francisco last year.
Rumors have it that Starlux will now turn its eyes to the East Coast as it considers future expansion from Taipei.
Volaris
Volaris, the budget Mexican carrier, filed plans to scrap service between Mexico City and Sacramento.
No other airline flies between these cities, so travelers will now need to find connecting options on this route.
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