In this week’s latest route developments, American Airlines has unveiled its summer schedule for 2025, encompassing new European destinations.
On the other side of the Atlantic, Air France made waves with the announcement of its inaugural route to Manila, Philippines. Let’s take a deep dive.
Europe is back in popularity with American travelers.
Four years after the pandemic, US-based airlines are adapting to the return of strong demand for destinations on the European continent.
American Airlines has announced new routes and service details. They announced a daily service from Charlotte, North Carolina (CLT) to Athens, Greece (ATH) that will begin on June 5 and will be operated by a Boeing 777-200(ER). A new daily service from Chicago (ORD) to Madrid (MAD) will begin on March 30 and will be operated by a Boeing 787-8.
The Sunshine State will also see a connectivity boost with a daily service from Miami (MIA) to Rome (FCO) that will begin on July 5. The service will be operated by a Boeing 777-200.
Finally, a daily service from Philadelphia (PHL) to Edinburgh, Scotland (EDI), and Milan (MXP), which will both begin on May 23, also using Boeing 787-8 aircraft.
All of the aforementioned destinations are already part of AA’s network, except Edinburgh, which has not been operated since March 2020. This highlights the return to popularity of the Scottish Highlands.
Adding more hubs to this destination shows the US carrier that Europe’s resorts will be popular again with American tourists.
Asia’s slow recovery continues.
Asia has suffered the most, having lost almost all of its air connectivity during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the page is now turned on this difficult period for the region, airlines are showing renewed interest in routes serving the Far East.
Air France announced on September 10th a service to Manila in the Philippines.
The airline’s recently issued press release outlined its plans to establish a link between Manila, Philippines, and its global hub at Paris-Charles de Gaulle, starting 7 December 2024. The service will consist of three direct weekly flights, operational on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, utilizing Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The Business cabin will accommodate 34 seats, the Premium cabin 24, and the Economy cabin 266.
The scheduled flight times (in local time) are as follows:
Flight AF208 will depart Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 23:20 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays and arrive in Manila at 19:30 the following day.
Flight AF209 will depart Manila at 9:50 PM on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays and arrive at Paris-Charles de Gaulle at 5:50 AM the following day.
On Wednesday 11 September, Korean Air inaugurated a flight From Seoul to Lisbon, KE921 departs Incheon every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday at 1:10 pm, and arrives in Lisbon at 8:10 pm local time.
The return flight, KE922, departs Lisbon at 10:10 pm on the same day and arrives in Incheon the following day at 7:10 pm. The duration of flight KE921 is 15 hours and 10 minutes, while the duration of flight KE922 is 13 hours.
Tourism has recovered
Overall, the trend today is that tourism globally has almost fully recovered. From destinations in Europe to Asia, people long to see the world after many years of being confined to their homes.
With newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft now available to serve the new routes, airlines can put forward their efforts in sustainability as a positive way to visit countries worldwide.
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