American, Delta and United plan to fly these long-haul international routes in June
U.S. airlines continue to add back long-haul international routes, albeit at a snails pace. June is typically a banner month for international travel as schools are out and people take off on summer holidays the world over.
Not this year as mandatory quarantines and travel restrictions will keep most would-be travelers near home.
While more routes will fly in June than in May, remembering what's lost is often as important as remembering what's flying.
American Airlines was due to mark its first foray into Africa in June. The carrier had planned to begin seasonal service between Philadelphia (PHL) and Casablanca (CMN), the hub of its new Oneworld partner Royal Air Maroc, on June 4. Now those plans are on hold and may not come to fruition for years. The plane American was due to fly to Morocco -- a Boeing 757 -- has been retired. The 757's replacement, the Airbus A321XLR, is not due before 2025.
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Delta Air Lines' planned to return to London Gatwick (LGW) this summer with flights from its Boston (BOS) hub beginning in May. That route, plus those planned by its partner Virgin Atlantic Airways, are on hold indefinitely pending some recovery post-pandemic. The U.S. carrier last served Gatwick in 2012, according to Cirium schedules.
London Gatwick was also Delta's first European destination when it began transatlantic flying in 1978.
United Airlines was to boost its seasonal long-haul offerings with destinations like Nice (NCE) in France and Palermo (PMO) in Italy. Those routes, and other seasonal additions, are on hold along with its peers' long-haul growth ambitions.
For June, these are the 40 long-haul routes to Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe and far South America that U.S. carriers are flying with passengers.
Related: A country-by-country guide to coronavirus recovery
American (as of May 29)
- Chicago O'Hare (ORD) - London Heathrow (LHR)
- Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) – Amsterdam (AMS), Frankfurt (FRA), London Heathrow, Madrid (MAD), Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Tokyo Narita (NRT)
- Miami (MIA) – London Heathrow
- New York John F. Kennedy (JFK) - London Heathrow
Related: American Airlines 'not going away' because of the coronavirus crisis
Delta (as of May 27)
- Atlanta (ATL) - Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Lagos (LOS), London Heathrow and Paris Charles de Gaulle
- Detroit (DTW) - Amsterdam, London Heathrow (LHR) and Seoul Incheon (ICN)
- New York JFK - Amsterdam, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Tel Aviv (TLV)
- Seattle (SEA) - Seoul Incheon and Tokyo Haneda (HND)
- Seoul Incheon - Shanghai Pudong (PVG)
Related: Delta will add Cape Town service to keep Johannesburg flights going with the Airbus A350
Hawaiian
Hawaiian has suspended all international long-haul flying until "until Hawaii is ready to re-open its economy and welcome travelers again," airline spokesperson Alex Da Silva told TPG.
Related: Hawaii extends 14-day quarantine through June
United (as of May 26)
- Chicago O'Hare - London Heathrow
- Houston Intercontinental (IAH) - São Paulo Guarulhos (GRU)
- Newark Liberty (EWR) - Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), Shanghai Pudong, Tel Aviv (TLV) and Tokyo Narita
- San Francisco (SFO) - Beijing Capital (PEK), Frankfurt, Shanghai Pudong, Sydney (SYD) and Tokyo Narita
- Washington Dulles (IAD) - Frankfurt
Related: Delta and United ready to return to China as international routes slowly resume
Both Delta and United's plans to resume service to Beijing and Shanghai in June are subject to Chinese government approval. The carriers suspended flights to the country during the early days of the pandemic in February.
"Most of our international flying, by the way, is being driven by cargo rather than passenger loads at this point," said United commercial chief Andrew Nocella during a Wolfe Research conference on May 19.
Updated to reflect Delta's decision to not operate the Atlanta-São Paulo route in June.
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