Exciting New Airline Routes For August 2015 and Beyond
Today, TPG Assistant Editor Matt Zuzolo shares news of exciting new airline routes, including some that have just launched or are slated to begin in the future. Read on to see several new routes to look out for this month through the middle of next year.
NEW ROUTES LAUNCHED IN AUGUST 2015
Dallas Love Field (DAL) to eight new cities on Southwest (starting August 9, 2015)
Details — Southwest launched new flights to:
- Boston Logan (BOS)
- Charlotte (CLT)
- Detroit (DTW)
- Omaha (OMA)
- Philadelphia (PHL)
- Pittsburgh (PIT)
- Raleigh/Durham (RDU)
- Salt Lake City (SLC)
These new flights began operating on August 9, 2015 with one-way fares starting at $69. Dallas Love Field is already one of the airline's biggest hubs, so these flights will certainly add to the options for Southwest passengers flying from or through Dallas.
Washington-Dulles (IAD) – Accra, Ghana (ACC) on South African Airways (August 3, 2015)
Details — South African Airways launched the first nonstop flight between Washington and Ghana on August 3. This flight also continues onward to South African's hub in Johannesburg (JNB). SAA will operate this flight using its wide-body Airbus 340-600, with 42 lie-flat seats in business and 275 seats in economy. The flight will operate four times per week in each direction.
Schedule (Daily)
- SA210 Washington-Dulles 5:40pm Departure ⇒ Accra, Ghana 7:40am (+1) Arrival
- SA209 Accra 10:45pm Departure ⇒ Washington-Dulles 6:05am (+1) Arrival
NEW ROUTES ANNOUNCED IN AUGUST 2015
Dubai (DXB) – Panama City (PTY) on Emirates (launching February 1, 2016)
Details — Emirates announced that it would be launching the world's longest current flight later this year, just barely beating out Qantas' Dallas (DFW) - Sydney (SYD). Emirates' 8,588 mile flight will be 17 hours and 35 minutes long (15 hours and 45 minutes back to Dubai). Emirates will operate this route using its 777-200LR, rather than its much higher-end A380.
Schedule
- EK251 Dubai 8:05am Departure ⇒ Panama City 4:40pm Arrival
- EK252 Panama City 10:10pm Departure ⇒ Dubai 10:55pm (+1) Arrival
Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) – Quito (UIO) on American Airlines (launching December 18, 2015)
Details — Starting in December, American Airlines will be operating five weekly flights between Dallas and Quito. AA will be using the Airbus A319 aircraft on this route. This is one of American's smaller aircraft, with eight first-class seats, 18 main-cabin extra seats and 102 economy-class seats.
Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) – Vail/Eagle (EGE) on United (seasonal - launching December 19, 2015)
Details — United will be operating a seasonal flight between O'Hare and Vail/Eagle starting in late December this year. Flying into Vail is one of the best ways to access some of the most popular ski resorts in Colorado, including Vail and Beaver Creek, as well as Breckenridge, Copper and Keystone. Note that while this flight is launching in late December, it won't operate between January 4 and February 7, 2016.
Newark (EWR) – St. Kitts (SKB) on United (launching December 19, 2015)
Details — United will begin flying nonstop between Newark and St. Kitts weekly on Saturdays this December. The airline will be operating a 737-800 aircraft with 138 economy seats and 16 business seats.
Schedule
- UA1925 Newark 9:00am Departure ⇒ St. Kitts 2:10pm Arrival
- UA1926 St. Kitts 3:05pm Departure ⇒ Newark 6:35pm Arrival
Scandinavian Airlines to Miami (MIA) and Los Angeles (LAX) (launching in 2016)
Details — SAS will be expanding its direct routes to the US next year with flights to MIA and LAX. The airline already operates flights to Chicago (ORD), Houston (IAH), Newark (EWR), San Francisco (SFO) and Washington-Dulles (IAD).
Schedule
Los Angeles (LAX) - Stockholm (ARN)
- SK934 Los Angeles 2:15pm Departure ⇒ Stockholm Arlanda 10am (+1) Arrival (Daily)
- SK933 Stockholm Arlanda 9:50am Departure ⇒ Los Angeles 12:15pm Arrival (Daily)
Miami (MIA) - Copenhagen (CPH)
- SK954 Miami 3:50pm Departure ⇒ Copenhagen 7:10am (+1) Arrival (Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays)
- SK953 Copenhagen 9:30am Departure ⇒ Miami 1:50pm Arrival (Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays)
Miami (MIA) - Oslo (OSL)
- SK956 Miami 3:50pm Departure ⇒ Oslo 7:05am (+1) Arrival (Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays)
- SK955 Oslo 9:35am Departure ⇒ Miami 1:50pm Arrival (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays)
London-Gatwick (LGW) to Continental Europe and Latin America on British Airways (Launching in late 2015 and 2016)
Details — British Airways is adding several new routes to Europe and Latin America from London-Gatwick in late 2015 and 2016. New destinations include:
- Vienna, Austria (VIE) — September 17, 2015
- Valencia, Spain (VLC) — November 6, 2015 — at least twice per week
- Porto, Portugal (OPO) — February 11, 2016 — at least four times per week
- Lima, Peru (LIM) — May 4, 2016 — three times per week
- San Jose, Costa Rica (SJO) —May 4, 2016 — twice per week
New Frontier Routes (Launching in October 2015)
Details — Frontier is expanding operations with several new flights in October. These flights will start at $19 through $69, and will be daily unless otherwise noted.
- Las Vegas (LAS) - Houston (IAH)
- Las Vegas (LAS) - Miami (MIA)
- Las Vegas (LAS) - Milwaukee (MKE)
- Las Vegas (LAS) - San Francisco (SFO)
- Orlando (MCO) - Indianapolis (IND)
- Orlando (MCO) - Los Angeles (LAX)
- Philadelphia (PHL) - Fort Myers (RSW)
- Philadelphia (PHL) - Montego Bay (MBJ) — Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday
Los Angeles (LAX) to Havana, Cuba (HAV) on American Airlines (charter — launching December 12, 2015)
Details — Following JetBlue's move to add charter service between New York and Cuba last month, American Airlines will be adding charter service on its Boeing 737 between Los Angeles and Havana later this year. Los Angeles joins Miami and Tampa as American's third location with direct flights to Cuba.
Which new airline routes are you most excited about?
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
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- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.