Summary
- Based on July-August, the US has 11 transatlantic routes served weekly, all to Europe.
- Canada has six: two to Asia and the rest to Europe.
- Weekly intercontinental flights can be highly intriguing.
Unsurprisingly, writers are drawn to high-frequency routes, as it’s easy to grab eyeballs. However, lower-frequency services are more exciting in many ways, especially if they’re intercontinental, such as across the Atlantic from the US and Canada. The intrigue increases further if they use narrowbody aircraft, wet-leased widebodies, or operate eastbound during the day.
17 routes with a weekly flight
The peak summer months of July and August, with the most demand and highest fares, are fast approaching. Examining more than 478 non-stop transatlantic routes from the US and Canada using OAG data shows that the median frequency is daily. This figure is often considered the minimum for competitiveness, at least in big markets.
As shown in the admittedly somewhat unclear figure below, some 17 routes are served weekly (each way). Eleven are from the US, and six are from Canada. Five are brand-new in 2024.
Image: GCMap
Routes with weekly flights from the US
Notice that seven routes are by Azores Airlines. While the carrier only has narrowbody aircraft, all the weekly routes use widebody equipment wet-leased from EuroAtlantic and Plus Ultra. It operates some of the shortest airport pairs across the North Atlantic.
Photo: Minh K Tran | Shutterstock
This is based on July and August only and is subject to change at other times.
|
Airport pair with a weekly flight |
Airline(s) |
Comments about July-August |
|---|---|---|
|
Boston-Funchal |
Azores Airlines |
New route in 2024. Uses a 767-300ER wet-leased from EuroAtlantic. Operates during the day back to Europe |
|
Boston-Porto |
Azores Airlines |
New route in 2024. Uses a 767-300ER wet-leased from EuroAtlantic. Operates during the day back to Europe |
|
Boston-Terceira |
Azores Airlines |
Uses an A330-200 wet-leased from Plus Ultra. Operates during the day back to Europe |
|
Melbourne-Birmingham |
TUI Airways |
787-8 and 787-9. Weekly for most of July, but then twice-weekly |
|
Newark-Kraków |
LOT Polish |
787-8 and 787-9 |
|
Newark-Rzeszów |
LOT Polish |
787-8 |
|
New York JFK-Funchal |
Azores Airlines |
Uses a 767-300ER wet-leased from EuroAtlantic. Operates during the day back to Europe |
|
New York JFK-Porto |
Azores Airlines |
New route in 2024. Uses a 767-300ER wet-leased from EuroAtlantic. Operates during the day back to Europe |
|
New York JFK-Terceira |
Azores Airlines |
Uses an A330-200 wet-leased from Plus Ultra. Operates during the day back to Europe |
|
Oakland-Terceira |
Azores Airlines |
Uses an A330-200 wet-leased from Plus Ultra |
|
Orlando-Madrid |
Iberojet |
New route in 2024. A350-900 |
And from Canada…
They include Air Saint-Pierre’s transatlantic service from its homeland, which is part of France rather than Canada. However, the transatlantic route, among the most interesting, is included here for convenience.
Related
6 Hours+: ASL Airlines Resumes Transatlantic Domestic Boeing 737-700 Flights
There are just 12 roundtrip flights.
Notice Pakistan International’s two entries. It is the only Asian operator featured in this article. It also has a twice-weekly service from Lahore, which is not included here. I asked an airline network planner and industry commentator why it has weekly services. Could it be due to a lack of traffic rights or aircraft? No, he said. “It’s because of stupidity.”
|
Airport pair with a weekly flight |
Airline(s) |
Comments about July-August |
|---|---|---|
|
Quebec City-London Gatwick |
Air Transat |
A321LR |
|
Saint Pierre*-Paris CDG |
Air Saint-Pierre |
Uses a 737-700 wet-leased from ASL Airlines France. Operates during the day to Europe |
|
Toronto-Funchal |
Azores Airlines |
New route in 2024. Uses a 767-300ER wet-leased from EuroAtlantic. Operates during the day back to Europe |
|
Toronto-Islamabad |
Pakistan International |
777-200LR |
|
Toronto-Karachi |
Pakistan International |
777-200LR |
|
Toronto-Lameza Terme |
Air Transat |
A330-200 |
|
* Not a part of Canada |
Will you be flying any of the services mentioned in the article? Let us know in the comments section.