As the busy summer travel season revs up, research from Deloitte shows that 53% of Americans plan to take leisure vacations in 2025. This represents an increase from 48% in 2024, and researchers believe that the summer of 2025 will be one of the highest-incidence summers since the pandemic began.
Although more people plan to travel, another shift is likely to impact their plans: Americans are planning to spend less money. The average summer travel budget was initially set to grow by 21%, but by April, that figure dropped to 13% as the sense of financial well-being declined.
As more people scale back on their budgets, there is a way to maximize every dollar spent. One way is by booking new routes that airlines are launching. It’s not always a guarantee, but as Nerd Wallet points out, new airplane routes often come with cheaper introductory and promotional fares to attract travelers to the new route. Here are the new routes that the top airlines are launching this summer.
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines has launched a new nonstop route from Seattle, its hometown hub, to Tokyo Narita, operated by Hawaiian Airlines’ long-haul aircraft. Additionally, the airline is adding new nonstop routes to San Diego from Phoenix, beginning August 20, and to Chicago O’Hare and Denver, on October 4.
American Airlines
In May, American Airlines launched flights from Chicago O’Hare to Naples, Philadelphia to Edinburgh, and Philadelphia to Milan. In June, flights from Charlotte to Athens, Miami to Rome, and Dallas/Fort Worth to Venice, Italy, begin.
Copa Airlines
A new and significant route for Copa Airlines, the Latin American carrier, has a nonstop flight from San Diego to Panama City, Panama, starting June 25. Copa will operate four weekly flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, departing from Tocumen International Airport at 1:16 p.m. (local time) and arriving at San Diego International Airport at 6:15 p.m. (local time). The return flight will operate on the same days, departing from San Diego at 8:58 p.m. (local time) and arriving in Panama City at 5:20 a.m. (local time).
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines is launching new domestic and international flights just for the summer. International flights you don’t want to miss are Boston to Barcelona, New York City (JFK) to Catania, Italy, Atlanta to Naples, Italy, Atlanta to Brussels, and Atlanta to Accra, Ghana. Travelers leaving from Los Angeles (LAX) will find new routes to Melbourne, Australia, and Shanghai, China.
Frontier Airlines
Ultra-low fare carrier Frontier has launched many of its summer routes in the spring. Some of the best routes are from Dulles International Airport (IAD) to destinations such as Dallas, Miami, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Miami travelers will find flights to Austin, Texas, Washington Dulles Airport, and Anguilla, Puerto Rico.
JetBlue Airlines
JetBlue is re-launching customer favorites for the summer. Boston to Madrid, Spain, and Edinburgh, Scotland, is back. Travelers from New York City (JFK) can book flights to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, beginning June 12. Those leaving from Fort Lauderdale can book flights to Guatemala City and Guayaquil, Ecuador, starting July 17.
Southwest Airlines
New routes for Southwest Airlines include Nashville to Portland and San Francisco. There are also routes from Baltimore to Long Beach, Ontario, California, and San Francisco. There is also a new international route between Colorado Springs and Cancun once a week. A significant route for Southwest this summer is the 33 daily flights between Hawaii and the mainland.
Spirit Airlines
Across its network, Spirit will introduce new flights, including three weekly flights from Detroit to Punta Cana starting in June, two weekly flights from Houston to Pensacola, Florida, and three weekly flights between Baltimore and Montego Bay, Jamaica.
United Airlines
This US-based airline is offering ten new destinations this summer, which include Houston to Puerto Escondido, Mexico. United will be the only U.S. airline to fly to Puerto Escondido. Those leaving from Newark can book flights to Faro, Portugal, and Palermo, Italy. Beginning in June, travelers from Newark can also book a trip to Madeira, Portugal.
In May, flights from Washington D.C. (IAD) to Dakar, Senegal began. Other new routes from IAD include Venice, Italy, and Nice, France.
