Airline Snapshot: New Routes for 2012

A new year brings new flight routes, and in 2012 the trend is toward expanding hub strongholds and boosting connecting service. For instance, Delta has announced dozens of new flights from New York, and US Airways is strengthening its Washington, D.C., presence.

Airlines in transition—whether that means mergers like United-Continental or bankruptcy protection like American—have generally committed to fewer routes so far for the year. However, since new service is rolled out regularly, expect more announcements throughout 2012. Travelers looking for good value should take note of new routes, since the increase in flight options often leads to stiffer competition—and better prices.

We’ve divided the new routes by region and covered the domestic and international carriers whose sales we monitor. We’ve also omitted seasonal service and increased frequencies on routes airlines are already flying.

Domestic

AirTran (all starting on June 3)

Denver-Akron/Canton

Denver-Dayton

Denver-New York/LaGuardia

Baltimore-Los Angeles

Baltimore-New Orleans

Baltimore-Seattle

Baltimore-San Francisco

Orange County-Las Vegas

Orange County-San Francisco

Alaska

San Jose-Palm Springs starting February 17

Seattle-Kansas City starting March 12

Portland, OR-Long Beach starting March 12

Oakland-Honolulu starting April 10

San Jose-Honolulu starting April 10

American

Chicago-Sioux City in spring

Chicago-Ft. Lauderdale starting February 9

Delta

New York/JFK-Austin in June

New York/JFK-Jacksonville in June

New York/JFK-Kansas City in June

New York/JFK-Los Angeles in June

New York/JFK-New Orleans in June

New York/JFK-Milwaukee in June

New York/JFK-San Francisco in June

New York/LaGuardia-Albany, NY, starting March 25

New York/LaGuardia-Buffalo starting March 25

New York/LaGuardia-Burlington, VT, starting March 25

New York/LaGuardia-Dayton starting March 25

New York/LaGuardia-Dallas starting March 25

New York/LaGuardia-Greensboro, NC, starting March 25

New York/LaGuardia-Manchester, NH, starting March 25

New York/LaGuardia-Miami starting March 25

New York/LaGuardia-Norfolk, VA, starting March 25

New York/LaGuardia-Richmond, VA, starting March 25

New York/LaGuardia-Rochester, NY, starting March 25

New York/LaGuardia-Ft. Myers starting March 25

New York/LaGuardia-Louisville starting March 25

New York/LaGuardia-Syracuse starting March 25

New York/LaGuardia-Bangor, ME, starting July 11  

New York/LaGuardia-Columbia, SC, starting July 11

New York/LaGuardia-Charlottesville, VA, starting July 11

New York/LaGuardia-Denver starting July 11

New York/LaGuardia-Greenville, SC, starting July 11

New York/LaGuardia-Houston starting July 11

New York/LaGuardia-Indianapolis starting July 11

New York/LaGuardia-Jacksonville starting July 11

New York/LaGuardia-Kansas City starting July 11

New York/LaGuardia-Milwaukee starting July 11

New York/LaGuardia-Minneapolis starting July 11

New York/LaGuardia-Myrtle Beach starting July 11

New York/LaGuardia-Nashville starting July 11

New York/LaGuardia-Philadelphia starting July 11

New York/LaGuardia-Pittsburgh starting July 11

New York/LaGuardia-Portland, ME, starting July 11

New York/LaGuardia-Raleigh starting July 11

New York/LaGuardia-Roanoke, VA, starting July 11

New York/LaGuardia-St. Louis starting July 11

New York/LaGuardia-Washington/Dulles starting July 11

New York/LaGuardia-Wilmington, NC, starting July 11

Frontier

Grand Rapids-Washington/Reagan starting January 4

Madison-Washington/National starting January 5

Hawaiian

New York/JFK-Honolulu starting June 4

JetBlue

Hartford, CT-West Palm Beach, FL, starting January 12

Boston-Dallas starting May 1

Southwest

Denver-Providence starting January 7

Ft. Lauderdale-Manchester, NH, starting January 7

Ft. Lauderdale-Milwaukee starting January 7

Nashville-Ft. Myers starting January 7

Atlanta-Austin starting February 12

Atlanta-Baltimore starting February 12

Atlanta-Denver starting February 12

Atlanta-Houston starting February 12

Atlanta-Chicago/Midway starting February 12

Long Island/Islip-Ft. Myers starting February 12

Atlanta-Las Vegas starting March 10

Atlanta-Phoenix starting March 10

Chicago-Oklahoma City starting June 3

Houston-Kansas City starting June 3

Houston-Raleigh starting June 3

Houston-Seattle starting June 3

Spirit

Dallas-Atlanta starting February 9

Dallas-New York/LaGuardia starting February 9

Phoenix/Mesa-Las Vegas starting February 9

Dallas-Boston starting March 22

Dallas-Orlando starting March 22

Phoenix/Mesa-Dallas starting March 22

Phoenix/Mesa-Ft. Lauderdale starting March 22

US Airways

Charlotte-Salt Lake City starting March 4

Phoenix-New York/LaGuardia starting March 10

Washington/Reagan-Birmingham, AL, starting March 25

Washington/Reagan-Fayetteville, NC, starting March 25

Washington/Reagan-Islip, NY, starting March 25

Washington/Reagan-Little Rock, AR, starting March 25

Washington/Reagan-Jacksonville, NC, starting March 25

Washington/Reagan-Pensacola starting March 25

Washington/Reagan-Tallahassee starting March 25

Washington/Reagan-Ft. Walton Beach starting March 25

Washington/Reagan-Memphis starting March 25

Washington/Reagan-Omaha starting March 25

Canada/Caribbean/Mexico

AirTran

San Antonio-Mexico City starting May 24 (pending government approval)

San Antonio-Cancun starting May 24 (pending government approval)

Orange County-Mexico City starting June 3 (pending government approval)

Orange County-Cancun starting June 3 (pending government approval)

Ft. Lauderdale-San Juan, PR, starting May 24

American

Chicago-Waterloo, Ontario, starting June 14

Delta

New York/JFK-Santo Domingo, DR, in March

New York/JFK-Santiago, DR, in March

New York/JFK-San Juan, PR, in March

New York/LaGuardia-Nassau, Bahamas, starting March 25

New York/LaGuardia-Halifax, NS, starting July 11

New York/LaGuardia-Ottawa, ON, starting July 11

New York/LaGuardia-Montreal, QC, starting July 11

Frontier

St. Louis-Cancun starting February 1

JetBlue

Hartford, CT-San Juan, PR, starting January 5

Newark-San Juan, PR, starting April 25

Ft. Lauderdale-Kingston, Jamaica, starting April 30

West Palm Beach-San Juan, PR, starting May 15

United/Continental

Los Angeles-Durango, MX, starting in March (pending government approval)

US Airways

Washington Reagan-Ottawa, ON, starting March 25

Europe

Air Berlin

Las Vegas-Dusseldorf, Germany, starting May 10

Los Angeles-Berlin, Germany, in May

Air France

Los Angeles-Paris A380 service starting May 28

United/Continental

Washington/Dulles-Manchester, England, in May

Washington/Dulles-Dublin, Ireland, in June (pending government approval)

Central and South America

Delta

Minneapolis-Liberia, Costa Rica, in January

United

Newark-Buenos Aires starting in April

Asia/Africa/Middle East

ANA

Seattle-Tokyo/Narita in 2012

San Jose-Tokyo/Narita in 2012

Emirates

Dallas-Dubai starting February 2

Seattle-Dubai starting March 1

Hawaiian Airlines

Honolulu-Fukuoka, Japan, starting April 17

Japan Airlines

Boston-Tokyo/Narita starting April 22

United/Continental

Washington Dulles-Doha, Qatar, starting in May (pending government approval)

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