Summary
- Vilnius, Riga, and Tallinn lack direct US flights, but one-stop options from 5 airlines offer convenient travel.
- Finnair, LOT Polish Airlines, SAS, Lufthansa, and British Airways connect the Baltics through various hubs.
- Each airline offers different routes, durations, and connections based on the US city of departure.
Vilnius, Riga, and Tallinn, the capitals of the three Baltic States, are well connected within Europe. However, despite previous attempts to launch direct flights between the two regions, none of these cities currently offer nonstop flights to the United States.
The fastest option to reach any of the three Baltic States is a one-stop flight. Notably, there are options with total travel times of just 10-12 hours, even with layovers. This article will take a closer look at five airlines offering one-stop flight options from the US to the Baltic countries: Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
1
Finnair
Connecting airport: Helsinki (HEL)
In the past two years, Finnair
has shifted its focus from the Asian market to the US market due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting closure of airspace. Now, the carrier offers direct flights to four US destinations, including New York (JFK), Miami (MIA), Los Angeles (LAX), and Dallas (DFW).
Due to its close geographical proximity, the Finnish flag carrier conveniently connects Helsinki Airport (HEL) to the Baltic States’ capitals. Thus, travelers flying from the US to the Baltics can choose Finnair for a relatively convenient one-stop flight.
An example of a possible one-stop itinerary:
Photo: Great Circle Mapper
|
New York (JFK) – Helsinki (HEL) – Vilnius (VNO) |
|
|---|---|
|
First leg |
AY016, Airbus A330-300, flight time: 8 h 10 min |
|
Transfer |
2h 20 min |
|
Second leg |
AY1105, ATR 72, flight time: 1 h 35 min |
The airline typically deploys its fleet of ATR 72 regional jets to fly from HEL to Vilnius (VNO), Riga (RIX), and Tallinn (TLL). It is worth noting that Finnair is the sole carrier offering nonstop direct services from HEL to VNO and TLL. Meanwhile, both Finnair and airBaltic service the route between HEL and RIX.
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2
LOT Polish Airlines
Connecting airport: Warsaw (WAW)
LOT Polish Airlines offers direct flights from Warsaw Chopin Airport (WAW) to the United States and connects WAW to Vilnius (VNO) and Tallinn (TLL). Notably, neither LOT Polish Airlines
nor airBaltic, the region’s leading airline, don’t connect WAW to Riga (RIX).
The Polish flag carrier currently operates direct US flights to New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Miami (MIA), Chicago (ORD), and Los Angeles (LAX).
An example of a possible one-stop itinerary:
Photo: Great Circle Mapper
|
Chicago (ORD) – Warsaw (WAW) – Tallinn (TLL) |
|
|---|---|
|
First leg |
LO4, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, flight time: 8 h 30 min |
|
Transfer |
1 h 05 min |
|
Second leg |
LO787, Embraer E175, flight time: 1 h 10 min |
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3
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS)
Connecting airport: Copenhagen (CPH)
SAS
is yet another airline offering direct flights to the US and connecting the Baltics directly via its hub at Copenhagen Kastrup Airport (CPH). Currently, the Scandinavian airline operates nonstop flights to eight US destinations:
- Atlanta (ATL)
- Boston (BOS)
- Chicago (ORD)
- Los Angeles (LAX)
- Miami (MIA)
- San Francisco (SFO)
- Washington DC (IAD)
- New York (JFK)
Passengers flying from the US who need to reach the Baltics can choose different airline options and take a connecting direct flight to all three capitals: VNO, RIX, and TLL.
An example of a possible one-stop itinerary:
Photo: Great Circle Mapper
|
Boston (BOS) – Copenhagen (CPH) – Riga (RIX) |
|
|---|---|
|
First leg |
SK928, Airbus A350, flight time: 7 h 25 min |
|
Transfer |
1 h 10 min |
|
Second leg |
SK9608 (operated by airBaltic), Airbus A220, flight time: 1 h 25 min |
Copenhagen has the best connections to Riga, with nonstop flights to Latvia’s capital offered by all three airlines: SAS, airBaltic
, and Norwegian
. Additionally, SAS provides direct flights between Vilnius and Copenhagen, while airBaltic offers nonstop service between Tallinn and Copenhagen.
4
Lufthansa
Connecting airport: Frankfurt (FRA), Munich (MUC)
Lufthansa
is among the European airlines offering the most direct transatlantic flights to the US. From its bases in Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC), it currently has routes to 27 different US destinations, with an average of 60 daily flights to and from the country.
The German flag carrier offers direct routes between Frankfurt (FRA) and Vilnius (VNO) and between Munich (MUC) and Vilnius (VNO) through a codeshare agreement with airBaltic. Lufthansa and airBaltic also operate direct flights from Frankfurt (FRA) to Riga (RIX). Meanwhile, Lufthansa is the only carrier that services the direct route between Frankfurt (FRA), Munich (MUC) and Tallinn (TLL).
An example of a possible one-stop itinerary:
Photo: Great Circle Mapper
|
Chicago (ORD) – Munich (MUC) – Vilnius (VNO) |
|
|---|---|
|
First leg |
LH435, Airbus A350, flight time: 8 h 20 min |
|
Transfer |
6 h 20 min |
|
Second leg |
LH4450 (operated by airBaltic), Airbus A220, flight time: 2 h |
Related
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5
British Airways
Connecting airports: London Heathrow (LHR)
Similar to Lufthansa, 
British Airways
is one of the largest transatlantic airlines. However, it has fewer direct connections to the Baltic States compared to the airlines mentioned earlier. British Airways and airBaltic only offer direct flights between London Heathrow (LHR) and Riga (RIX).
There are no direct flights from London Heathrow (LHR) to Vilnius or Tallinn. However, both cities are well-connected to the UK through other airports, with low-cost carriers like Wizz Air and Ryanair offering service.
An example of a possible one-stop itinerary:
Photo: Great Circle Mapper
|
New York (JFK) – London (LHR) – Riga (RIX) |
|
|---|---|
|
First leg |
BA0178, Boeing 787 Dreamliner, flight time: 6 h 55 min |
|
Transfer |
10 h 5 min |
|
Second leg |
BA0880, Airbus A320, flight time: 2 h 50 min |
Currently, there are no direct flights connecting the Baltic region to the US. However, past efforts have been made to establish nonstop flights between the two regions. airBaltic’s CEO, Martin Gauss, mentioned in an interview with Latvian Television that while US-Latvia connectivity isn’t economically feasible at the moment, he doesn’t rule out the possibility in the future.
Meanwhile, in an interview with LRT, Simonas Bartkus, CEO of Lithuanian Airports, said that Lithuania may have direct flight to North America within four to five years.