During the summer, the United States is set to see up to 635 passenger flights daily to Europe, resulting in a considerable volume of transatlantic activity. According to data from Cirium Diio, over 40 airlines are scheduled to operate more than 500 routes between the two continents. On average, routes will have about eight weekly departures, with some operating up to eight times a day, such as British Airways between London Heathrow and New York JFK. Notably, 97 routes will have at least two daily flights, and 25 will feature three or more daily operations.
Within this landscape, a smaller subset of US-Europe routes will operate just weekly. These routes involve various European carriers and focus on point-to-point traffic. This limited frequency often targets specific customer segments such as vacation travelers and members of the diaspora. Among the airlines providing these services are Iberojet, TUI Airways, Azores Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Neos, and TAP Air Portugal.
The impact of these infrequent flights can lead to high occupancy rates, depending on the demand. For example, LOT Polish Airlines reportedly achieved a 92% seat occupancy rate between Kraków/Rzeszów and Newark in summer 2024, as per the US Department of Transportation. In contrast, Azores Airlines filled only 47% of its Terceira-New York JFK capacity over the same period.
Routes with a weekly schedule primarily operate in the northern aviation summer from March 30 to October 25. For instance, Azores Airlines offers a Tuesday flight on the Terceira to Boston route using an A321neo, while their Terceira to New York JFK service flies on Saturdays with the same aircraft, except for April 5 when an A320neo is used. Iberojet’s Madrid to Orlando service departs on Saturdays using an A330-300, and LOT Polish Airlines has Saturday flights from Kraków to Newark and Monday flights from Rzeszów to Newark.
Other notable weekly routes include a new service by Neos from Bari to New York JFK starting June 4, operating on Wednesdays with a 787-9 aircraft, and TAP Air Portugal’s new route from Lisbon-Terceira-San Francisco beginning June 3, replacing Azores Airlines’ prior service. TUI Airways is operating between Belfast International and Melbourne only on select Saturdays, and Birmingham to Melbourne shifts to once weekly on Thursdays for over 25 weeks during summer post-April.
Azores Airlines’ Terceira to New York JFK route stands out as the fourth-shortest US-Europe connection this summer, covering 2,139 nautical miles. This route is preceded by Terceira to Boston, Ponta Delgada to Boston, and Keflavik to Boston, which, unlike Terceira routes, offer more than one weekly service. The Terceira to New York journey includes departing JFK on Friday evenings and returning from Terceira on Saturdays, completing its cycle with stops at Ponta Delgada.
