en.Wedoany.com Reported - Five U.S. airlines will collectively launch or resume 15 routes during a five-day period from May 22 to 29, 2026. According to data analysis by Cirium Diio, these routes span multiple markets, including U.S. domestic short-haul and transatlantic long-haul services, with more than half being entirely new routes.
On May 22, United Airlines will be the first to launch service from Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Cody. Operating only on Fridays, the route will run through September 18, served by SkyWest's Embraer E175 with a distance of 936 nautical miles (1,733 kilometers). This will be Cody's longest nonstop route in five years; the market last had nonstop service in 2021. On May 23, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines along with their regional subsidiaries will launch 10 routes. Notably, despite the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) imposing flight caps at Chicago O'Hare to address summer delays, which led United and others to cut thousands of flights, the hub still added three new destination markets. However, these new routes will operate at very low frequencies, mostly once weekly.
On May 27, United Airlines will launch a brand-new route between Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Santiago de Compostela Airport (SCQ) in Spain. This will mark the first time the Spanish city receives a nonstop flight from North America. United will operate the route three times weekly using a 166-seat Boeing 737 MAX 8, with a block time of eight hours on the return leg to New Jersey, making it the longest MAX-operated route for the Star Alliance member. United mitigated the risk of launching this unproven long-haul route through financial incentives and risk-sharing agreements. Data shows that in 2025, a total of 53,000 passengers traveled between Santiago and the surrounding area and the United States.
On May 28, Alaska Airlines will inaugurate its first route to Iceland, flying from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Keflavik. This will be its third European route, operated by a narrow-body aircraft. The route launches one month after Alaska Airlines' first-ever European route and one week after the launch of its SEA to London Heathrow service. On May 29, Breeze Airways will launch two new routes: Hartford to Louisville and Raleigh/Durham to Orange County, both operated twice weekly using the A220-300. The Raleigh/Durham to Orange County route covers a one-way distance of 1,923 nautical miles (3,561 kilometers), making it Breeze's seventh-longest route.
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