Americans aren’t getting sick of European vacations, and airlines are on the hunt for new places to take them.
Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines set their flying plans for next summer, with more flights to key travel destinations on the continent while also introducing flights to locales not previously served, such as Nuuk, Greenland, and Catania, Sicily.
The number of Americans who flew to Europe is up 9% this year through September compared with last year, and 16% above the same period in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic brought cross-border travel to a standstill, according to data from the International Trade Administration. Robust travel to Europe has helped fuel profits for large U.S. carriers over the past two summers.
“The savvy traveler has been to Paris, Rome and Madrid. They’re looking for something different,” said Patrick Quayle, United’s senior vice president of global network planning and alliances.
Travel advisers agree. Margi Arnold said many of her clients are looking to get away from larger European cities to explore more locally.
“They just don’t want the crowds,” said Arnold, owner of Denver-based Creative Travel Adventures.
Some locals are also tired of the tourist throngs, complaining that the crush of visitors has overwhelmed popular destinations and that short-term rentals aimed at out-of-towners are driving up rents . Protests erupted in Athens and Barcelona this summer.
Executives at airlines are aware of the backlash, but they still plan to add flights to tried-and-true destinations. Airlines are planning to offer close to 3% more seats on routes between the U.S. and Europe next summer compared with 2024, according to early schedule data from Cirium, an aviation-data company.
“There’s certain markets, there’s been a little bit of pushback. The demand continues to stay quite strong,” Delta Chief Executive Ed Bastian said.
Some travelers are making repeat trips. Others who were priced out of packed flights and hotels in recent years are still looking for a chance to go.
“Honestly, I thought maybe that was a one-year deal, everybody would get their Italy and Greece fix and then move on to other destinations,” said Brian Znotins , senior vice president of network planning at American. That hasn’t been the case.
Next summer, the airline will add a daily flight to Athens from its hub in Charlotte, N.C. Data showed that many travelers were still taking connecting flights to get there—a sign that there wasn’t enough nonstop service, Znotins said.
The airline is also reintroducing an Edinburgh route for the first time since 2019 in an attempt to lure more high-end leisure travelers—particularly golfers looking to play in Scotland, Znotins said. American won’t have to rely on business travelers to fill up the front cabin of those flights, he said.
Delta is piling into southern Europe, including boosting seats to Italy by 10%, while cutting a flight to Stuttgart, Germany. United is also expanding beyond existing tourism centers or hubs operated by partner airlines to places like Nuuk; Bilbao, Spain; and Madeira Island and Faro, in Portugal.
With more flights this past summer, fares have been lower—an indication that demand has leveled off some. The cheapest flights from the U.S. to Europe averaged $778 in July, down nearly $100 from the same month in 2023, according to Hopper, a booking app. This fall, a time of year when there is typically a lull, airfare is averaging $645 for a ticket, down 9% from a year ago, Hopper said.
“I think that, you know, the heat has gone out of the market a little bit, it’s a little bit softer,” said John Grant, chief analyst at travel-data firm OAG.
European airlines are now offering more flights to smaller U.S. cities. Air France added Phoenix to its route map this year. Next spring, Aer Lingus will start flying between Dublin and Nashville, Tenn.
No U.S. airline offered nonstop flights to Sicily this year. Next year, United plans to start flying to Palermo on the north side of the island, while Delta recently announced flights to Catania, on the east side.
“I think everybody in the country has gone to Italy,” said Joe Esposito, Delta’s senior vice president of network planning. Data showed that more than 200 people a day made their way to Catania during the summer, but there were no nonstop flights from the U.S.
The pent-up appetite to travel abroad that was unleashed after the Covid-19 pandemic hasn’t dropped off, Esposito said.
Take Kurt Obersteadt, a current Delta flier. The 48-year-old finished off trips to all 48 contiguous U.S. states last year. Now, he is ready to travel internationally and wants to head to Europe for the first time next year.
The Nashville-based Uber driver collects hundreds of travel recommendations from his passengers on Post-its, and uses them to build itineraries for both mainstream European cities, like Barcelona, and less-popularized ones like Kraków, Poland, and Madeira Island.
“I don’t have to do any research,” Obersteadt said. “All the research has already been done for me.”
