Delta Air Lines, Air Canada and American Airlines are among the North American airlines extending their networks over the coming weeks.
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Copenhagen
Delta Air Lines will open a new route to Copenhagen this summer, further strengthening its partnership with new SkyTeam alliance member Scandinavian Airlines (SAS).
Service connecting Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) and Copenhagen Airport (CPH) will commence on May 22, operating three times per week using Airbus A330-300 aircraft. Flights will be on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays on the eastbound leg.
The 4,266-mi. (3,707-nm) route will become Delta’s second to Denmark’s capital city alongside its summer-season service from New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). The carrier also serves Stockholm Arlanda Airport from JFK.
Delta’s decision to introduce the CPH route comes after SAS joined SkyTeam in September 2024 following its departure from Star Alliance. The two airlines have also signed a codeshare agreement, which will give Delta passengers access to 50 destinations in northern Europe via SAS' hubs in Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm. In turn, SAS customers will be able to connect to more than 150 destinations in North America through Delta's hubs.
SAS has already begun realigning its U.S. strategy to integrate with Delta’s network. In June 2024, it launched a route between Copenhagen and Delta’s hub at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL), and from May 2025, it will resume service to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) after a 15-year hiatus.
For MSP, Copenhagen will become one of eight European destinations served during the summer 2025 season. Alongside the new Copenhagen route, the airport will also see Delta’s new service to Rome Fiumicino Airport.
According to Sabre Market Intelligence data, O&D traffic between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Copenhagen amounted to 14,731 two-way passengers in 2024, up by 14.4% year-on-year. Minneapolis, alongside St. Paul, is home to a large Scandinavian community, meaning the new route should attract significant VFR flows. U.S. census figures show that there are approximately 9.37 million people of Scandinavian ancestry in the U.S., with around 1.6 million in Minnesota.
Montreal-Naples
Air Canada is adding a new Italian destination to its network this summer with the launch of nonstop flights between Montreal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) and Naples International Airport (NAP).
The addition of Naples marks the airline’s fourth Italian destination, complementing existing services to Rome, Milan and Venice. Flights between YUL and NAP are set to begin on May 17, operating four times per week using Boeing 787-8 aircraft.
Once launched, the route will become the Italian airport’s fourth nonstop summer-season connection to North America, joining American Airlines’ service from Philadelphia, Delta Air Lines’ route from New York John F. Kennedy and United Airlines’ flights from Newark.
In addition to leisure travelers heading to the Amalfi Coast and historic sites such as Pompeii, Air Canada will also target the VFR market, catering to the large Italian-Canadian community in Montreal. According to the 2021 census, the greater Montreal area is home to more than 267,000 residents of Italian ancestry, making it the second-largest concentration of ethnic Italians in Canada after Toronto.
More News And Analysis From Routes Europe 2025
Sabre Market Intelligence figures show that O&D traffic between Montreal and Naples totaled about 6,500 two-way passengers in 2024—all of whom traveled indirect. Paris was the largest one-stop market, followed by Munich and Frankfurt.
Naples is one of two new transatlantic destinations Air Canada is opening from YUL this summer. Flights to Porto, Portugal, will begin on June 4, operating three times per week using Airbus A330-300 aircraft.
Charlotte-Athens
American Airlines is adding more capacity to Greece this summer, opening a new seasonal route between North Carolina's Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and Athens International Airport (ATH).
The route, which will operate daily from June 7, will be served by Boeing 777-200 aircraft. It increases the Oneworld alliance member’s seasonal Greek network to four daily routes, alongside flights to ATH from its New York John F. Kennedy, Chicago O’Hare and Philadelphia hubs.
With the launch of the Charlotte-Athens route, Athens will have nonstop connectivity to nine U.S. cities during the summer 2025 season. Other carriers operating transatlantic services to the Greek capital include Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Emirates and Norse Atlantic Airways, which is also expanding its footprint by opening a route to Los Angeles.
According to OAG Schedules Analyser data, American Airlines will be the second-largest operator of U.S.-Greece flights by mid-July 2025, holding a 24.3% share of the market. Delta Air Lines will lead with 37.2% of all nonstop seats, while United Airlines will account for 22.8%.
Sabre Market Intelligence data shows that O&D traffic between the U.S. and Greece totaled nearly 2.4 million two-way passengers in 2024, reflecting strong demand for transatlantic connectivity. Athens-New York ranked as the largest city pair, followed by Athens-Los Angeles and Athens-Boston.
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