New nonstop Europe routes
U.S. carriers are launching a wave of new nonstop U.S.–Europe summer routes and United plans 10 new “ultra‑long” flights — some approaching 22 hours — expanding direct options for summer 2026 travel ( ).
American said it will add summer‑season nonstop service from Dallas‑Fort Worth to Athens (starting May 21, 2026) and Zurich (starting May 21, 2026), year‑round Miami–Milan beginning March 29, 2026, and new Philadelphia nonstop flights to Budapest and Prague that start May 21, 2026 — most of those transatlantic services will operate on Boeing 787‑8 equipment. (news.aa.com (news.aa.com)) Delta’s summer 2026 transatlantic slate lists Boston–Madrid (launch May 6), Seattle–Rome (May 6), Seattle–Barcelona (May 7), Boston–Nice (May 16), JFK–Olbia (May 20), JFK–Porto (May 21) and a June 7 start to JFK–Malta. (news.delta.com (news.delta.com)) Delta will operate the new JFK–Porto seasonal service using Boeing 767 aircraft, and the carrier says these seven additions form part of a transatlantic build‑out that reaches its largest-ever Europe schedule for summer 2026. (thriftytraveler.com (thriftytraveler.com); news.delta.com (news.delta.com)) United’s summer map adds several nonstop links to smaller European cities — Newark–Split begins April 30, Newark–Bari follows the next day, Newark–Santiago de Compostela starts May 22, Newark–Glasgow launches May 8, and Dulles–Reykjavík debuts May 21 — with Newark also gaining a daily, year‑round nonstop to Seoul later in the year. (cnbc.com (cnbc.com)) SimpleFlying’s breakdown of United’s “10 longest” routes shows the carrier mixing nonstop and one‑stop fifth‑freedom services that produce door‑to‑door block times up to about 21 hours 45 minutes (example: Houston–Tokyo Narita–Ulaanbaatar listed at 21h45 and Los Angeles–Hong Kong–Bangkok at ~21h40). (simpleflying.com (simpleflying.com)) United plans to introduce premium‑heavy Boeing 787‑9s with new Polaris/“United Elevate” interiors early in 2026, with initial deployments targeted on San Francisco–Singapore and San Francisco–London, and the airline’s first 222‑seat 787‑9 deliveries were expected to arrive in February 2026 for entry into service in March. (flymag.com (flymag.com); simpleflying.com (simpleflying.com)) American notes its Philadelphia hub will serve 19 transatlantic destinations in 2026, and it scheduled ticket sales for the new summer 2026 routes to begin Aug. 11, 2025. (news.aa.com (news.aa.com))
