2024 in Review: The 10 New International Flights You Need To Know About

Throughout 2024, airlines have unveiled dozens of innovative routes, making it easier for travelers to connect to new and lesser-known destinations. From remote corners of the world to thriving economic hubs, these new flights reflect the industry’s dedication to adapting to the dynamic needs of both leisure and business travelers.

Here’s a look at the top 10 new international routes that have caught our team’s attention over the past year.

1. Emirates: Miami to Bogota, Colombia

In June, Dubai-based Emirates, launched its inaugural fifth-freedom flight linking Miami and Bogotá, Colombia, as an extension of its Dubai-Miami service.

What exactly are fifth-freedom flights, you ask? These are routes where an airline operates flights between 2 airports outside its home country. In this case, Emirates strategically launched a new route to reduce ground time at Miami International Airport (MIA) while tapping into a thriving market in Latin America, a region rich in economic and cultural importance.

This new route positions Emirates as the most attractive choice for travelers between the 2 cities, marking a historic milestone as the first-ever link between Colombia and the Middle East. (You can also book first-class on Emirates for just 60,000 miles on this route!).

2. United Airlines: Newark to Nuuk, Greenland

Traveling to Greenland has always been a challenge due to its remote location. Historically, reaching the country from the U.S. often required routing through Europe, involving multiple stops along the way.

In October, United Airlines announced groundbreaking news about a first-of-its-kind nonstop route from the U.S. to Nuuk, Greenland, which has excited many AvGeeks. Beginning June 14, 2025, United will introduce a twice-weekly service linking Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) with Nuuk International Airport (GOH), the capital of Greenland.

This will be the only nonstop route between the U.S. and Greenland, which will take just around 4 hours​. What’s even more exciting is the opportunity to book these Greenland flights for just 35,000 miles one-way via Air Canada Aeroplan.

Hot Tip:

United Airlines is set to achieve its largest international route expansion yet in 2025, with new flights to Mongolia, Taiwan, and more.

3. Icelandair: Nashville to Reykjavík

This year, Icelandair has also revealed plans to launch 4x weekly service between Reykjavík (KEF) and Nashville (BNA) starting April 10, 2025 — a month earlier than originally scheduled, thanks to strong demand. In fact, this new route to Nashville will become Icelandair’s 18th destination in North America.

This Nashville to Iceland route is particularly exciting for residents of Tennessee and nearby Southern states like Kentucky and Alabama, providing them with a convenient option to fly directly to Iceland or onward to Europe.

Even better, travelers on this route can take advantage of Icelandair’s popular stopover program, which offers a unique chance to explore Iceland for up to a week at no additional cost before continuing to their final destination within Icelandair’s network.

4. JetBlue: Boston and New York to Dublin, Ireland and Edinburgh, Scotland

For long, JetBlue has held a strong domestic presence, but in recent years, the airline has made significant strides in expanding its European network. Earlier this year, the New York-based carrier introduced 2 new European destinations to its growing route network: Dublin and Edinburgh.

In fact, the airline made its debut in the European market in 2021 with the launch of a high-profile route from New York (JFK) to London-Heathrow (LHR). This marked a major milestone for JetBlue, which has since added Paris (CDG), Amsterdam (AMS), London-Gatwick (LGW), and now, Dublin (DUB) and Edinburgh (EDI), to its European network.

Although these flights are offered for the summer season, JetBlue’s excellent inflight experience is now available on its 2 newest European routes, providing U.S.-based travelers with an alternative to the traditional legacy carriers like American, Delta, and United.

Hot Tip:

These JetBlue flights to Dublin and Edinburgh are operated by the airline’s fleet of state-of-the-art Airbus A321LR aircraft, equipped with JetBlue Mint, the carrier’s popular business class. Read our review of JetBlue Mint on a route flying across the Atlantic and discover how it redefines the in-flight experience, setting a new standard against its competitors.

5. United Airlines: Newark to Marrakech, Morocco

United Airlines made history this year as the first U.S. carrier to offer a nonstop route to Morocco, with new service between Newark (EWR) and Marrekech (RAK) that began this fall. At present, most transatlantic flights to Morocco are operated by the country’s flagship airline, Royal Air Maroc, with the majority of routes connecting through Casablanca (CMN), a city that often serves as a transit point rather than the final destination for travelers.

United currently operates 3x-weekly flights between the 2 cities for the winter season. Like many of the airline’s European leisure routes, the service to Marrakech is operated using the airline’s Boeing 767-300 fleet, which includes the premium United Polaris business class.

Hot Tip:

Check out our in-depth review to experience what it’s like to fly United Polaris on the Boeing 767-300 from the U.S. to Europe.

6. Norse Atlantic Airways: Los Angeles to Rome, Italy

This year saw the introduction of a somewhat unconventional route. The Norwegian low-cost airline Norse Atlantic Airways announced a new route connecting Los Angeles (LAX) and Rome (FCO), set to begin in the summer of 2025.

The transatlantic service will be offered 5x weekly beginning on May 22, 2025 and will be operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

One-way fares from Los Angeles begin at just $199, offering significant value for an 11+ hour flight to Rome. This new route provides an economical option for travelers looking to reach Europe affordably from the West Coast.

7. American Airlines: Dallas-Fort Worth to Barcelona, Spain

For long, Barcelona has been a top travel destination for American travelers. However, there are considerably more direct flights available to Madrid, Spain’s capital, than to Catalonia’s most iconic city.

American Airlines aimed to change that by launching a new route between Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Barcelona Airport (BCN) in June. This route runs once-daily with a Boeing 777-200 aircraft and complements a bustling timetable of additional routes departing DFW for Western Europe, featuring twice-daily service to Madrid (MAD).

American has made a strong effort to expand its summer European schedule this past year, and this new Barcelona route is hopefully a sign of things to come for the carrier in 2025.

8. Etihad Airways: New Service to Boston

Etihad currently offers flights from Abu Dhabi (AUH) to 4 U.S. cities: New York (JFK), Washington, D.C. (IAD), Chicago (ORD), and now, Boston (BOS), which was added in 2024.

This nonstop service between Boston (BOS) and Abu Dhabi, UAE (AUH) is offered 4x weekly. Etihad operates the route using its Boeing 787-9 aircraft, which has a total of 299 seats. This includes 28 seats in business class, referred to by Etihad as “Business Studio,” and 271 seats in economy class.

In contrast to its UAE counterpart, Emirates, Etihad operates fewer routes in the U.S., making this new Boston route a noteworthy addition to its route network.

9. Delta Air Lines: New York to Naples, Italy

Delta has been on a tear lately, promising a robust transatlantic schedule expansion for next year. At the beginning of 2024, the Atlanta-based carrier announced and launched a new route between New York (JFK) and Naples, Italy (NAP) that began this past May.

The carrier already offers direct service from the U.S. to the Italian cities of Milan, Rome, and Venice, and over the summer, the carrier started daily nonstop flights from New York’s JFK to Naples.

This decision was most likely a response to American’s new Philadelphia to Naples route, which was announced around the same time, but it’s nonetheless great that visitors in the Northeast now have a variety of places to pick from when planning an Italian vacation.

10. United Airlines: Newark to Faro, Portugal

United also announced the launch of new direct service from Newark (EWR) to Faro, Portugal (FAO), which began on May 24, 2024. The Chicago-based airline made history — again — by introducing the first-ever nonstop service from the U.S. to Faro, which serves as the gateway to Portugal’s Algarve region.

This route plays a major role in United’s efforts to enhance its operations in Portugal, complementing its current flights to Lisbon, Porto, and the Azores.

Considering the limited options for direct flights to the Algarve region from the U.S., this new route aims to address the need for direct connections to Portugal’s southernmost area. This service, operating 4x weekly between the New York City area and the Algarve region, allows U.S. travelers to experience Portugal’s beautiful coastline, charming towns, and pleasant summer weather.

Final Thoughts

There was no shortage of exciting new routes announced in 2024, with a good mix of domestic and international carriers. United Airlines stole the spotlight among the major U.S. airlines by unveiling new routes to remote and intriguing destinations, including Portugal’s Algarve region and Greenland.

Looking ahead, we can anticipate this trend of airlines venturing into untapped markets and underserved destinations to gain even more momentum in 2025.