In a recent interview about the evolving landscape of air travel in the post-pandemic era, we explored the significant changes that airlines are implementing by 2025, including new long-haul routes, refreshed cabin designs, complimentary Wi-Fi, and enhanced culinary offerings with traditional flavors. These transformations ultimately impact travelers’ experiences positively, even as they come at a cost.
According to a report from Forbes, starting in 2025, United Airlines will introduce a series of new routes, including destinations such as Nuuk in Greenland, Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, Kaohsiung in Taiwan, Dakar in Senegal, Palermo in Italy, Bilbao in Spain, and both Madeira and Faro in Portugal. Most of these new flights will operate daily, though some will be seasonal or weekly. Additionally, United will launch other new routes, including flights from New York to the Dominican Republic, Tokyo/Narita to Palau’s Koror, and Washington to Nice and Venice. This marks the first entry of a U.S. airline to Greenland and Mongolia, and United will also be the only airline currently serving Palau.
American Airlines is also expanding its long-haul routes to Europe from several major hubs in 2025. This includes a flight from Charlotte to Athens, which will become its longest route from Charlotte, along with flights from Chicago to Madrid, replacing a previous service operated by its partner Iberia, and a new route from Miami to Rome.
Delta Air Lines is stepping up as well, adding new long-haul services that feature routes from Atlanta to Naples in Italy, Boston to Barcelona and Milan, Detroit to Dublin, Minneapolis/St. Paul to Rome, New York to Catania in Italy, and Salt Lake City to Seoul in South Korea.
Beyond increasing flight frequency, airlines are also focusing on enhancing passenger experience through soft refurbishments. Later this fall, Delta plans to unveil new cabin interiors for its Boeing 757s, with a refresh of its Airbus A350 interiors slated for early next year. These upgrades include new seat materials and adaptive lighting throughout the flight. All premium cabin seats, both wide-body and narrow-body, will feature memory foam cushioning, while the “Delta One” and first-class seats will be outfitted with a new breathable wool-nylon blend fabric. Iconic Delta branding will also be evident throughout the cabin. Aircraft will undergo a rejuvenation process over the coming years as they adhere to standard maintenance programs.
On the culinary front, top-tier AAdvantage members can now redeem miles—24,000 miles for Platinum Professional members and 20,000 miles for Executive Platinum members—for access to the flagship restaurant lounges in Dallas/Fort Worth or Miami. Additionally, Air New Zealand is set to launch its new “Aotearoa Cuisine” menu for business class on North American flights, featuring dishes crafted from local New Zealand ingredients and flavors starting next week.
Turkish Airlines is also raising the bar on its intercontinental business class by adding “the world’s oldest bread,” made from single-grain and two-grain wheat, served with butter and olive oil.
