The holiday season is here, which means it's time for vacations! Airlines are launching new flights for those seeking sun or snow just before Christmas.
This December, major and smaller airlines are starting numerous new routes to the Caribbean, the South Pacific, desert areas, and snowy destinations. Read on and explore all the key details below!
Where to fly this winter? New routes revealed!
Brisbane welcomes a new major airline and Fiji gets a Texas link
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Delta Air Lines and Fiji Airways are offering 2 new non-stop options to the South Pacific and Australia. Delta is the latest US airline (after American Airlines in October) to start service to Brisbane, the sunny capital of Queensland. The SkyTeam Alliance member will connect Los Angeles and Brisbane on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with its flagship Airbus A350, starting on December 4th. The nearly 15-hour flight departs Los Angeles at 11:05 p.m. and arrives in Brisbane just before 8 a.m. 2 days later. Economy fares start at around $1,000 one way.
Fiji Airways, a new member of the Oneworld airline alliance, will connect the alliance's largest hub, Dallas/Fort Worth, to the airline's namesake island, starting on December 10th. This gives anyone flying American's broad domestic network easy access to the South Pacific island and some of the best resorts in the region. The nearly 14-hour flight departs DFW at 9:55 p.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and arrives in Fiji at 5:20 a.m. 2 days later. Economy fares start at $529 one way.
A sunny getaway for beach fans
This holiday season, American, Delta, and United Airlines are introducing several new routes for beach lovers. Some highlights include American's new Saturday-only non-stop flights from Charlotte and New York's JFK to Saint Vincent in the Caribbean, starting on December 7th. The flights depart Charlotte around 9 a.m. and New York around 8 a.m., with the journey taking a few hours to reach the Caribbean island. One-way economy fares on the New York route start at $198.
In addition, American will connect La Romana in the Dominican Republic to its Miami hub with daily flights, starting on December 5th. The flights depart Miami around 10:30 a.m. and arrive on the island about 2 hours and 40 minutes later. One-way economy fares start as low as $129.
Delta is resuming service to the Mexican beach town of Mazatlan after a prolonged pandemic break. The airline will connect Mazatlan with Minneapolis-St. Paul on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from December 19th and with Los Angeles on Saturdays from December 21st. The flights from Minneapolis depart a little after 10 a.m. and land in Mazatlan just over 4 hours later, while the flights from Los Angeles depart at 11:05 a.m. and arrive nearly 3 hours later.
Finally, United will introduce daily flights connecting Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago to its Newark hub, starting on December 19th. The flights depart Newark at 7 p.m. and arrive in Port of Spain around 1 a.m., about 5 hours later.
Everyone's eager to fly to Palm Springs
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For travelers eager to soak up the desert sun, there are new flight options to Palm Springs this month. Delta, Frontier Airlines, Porter Airlines, and United are all launching new routes to the desert destination.
Delta is connecting Palm Springs to New York's JFK Airport, with a Saturday-only flight, starting on December 21st. The flight departs JFK at 9:40 a.m. and lands in Palm Springs just over 6 hours later. Economy seats for this route are available for as little as $149 one way in January, although holiday fares are more expensive.
Frontier Airlines is also bringing new service to Palm Springs, with routes from Denver and San Francisco beginning on December 13th. Frontier will fly these routes on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, with flights departing San Francisco around 9 a.m. and Denver after 5 p.m. One-way fares start at $49 from San Francisco and $130 from Denver.
Porter Airlines is launching a new flight from Toronto to Palm Springs, starting on December 12th. The flight will depart Toronto at 9:25 a.m. and arrive in Palm Springs just over 6 hours later. Porter will use their new Embraer E2 jets for this route, and economy tickets will begin at $67 one way.
In addition, United Airlines is introducing a brand-new non-stop flight from Washington, D.C. to Palm Springs, starting on December 19th. The flight will depart Washington at 9 a.m. and arrive in time for lunch. After the holidays, economy tickets for this route will be as low as $274 one way.
More wintertime adventures for snow sports fans
For snow enthusiasts, there are several new flights launching for the upcoming ski season. Kelowna, Salt Lake City, and Vail will all see new flight options this December. Alaska Airlines is adding a new daily non-stop flight from Los Angeles to Kelowna, starting on December 19th. The flight will depart Los Angeles around 10:30 a.m. and arrive in the Canadian city just over 3 hours later. One-way economy fares start as low as $128.
Alaska Airlines and Frontier Airlines are expanding their presence in Vail, the central hub for Colorado's winter sports. Alaska will connect Vail to San Diego and Seattle with flights on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, starting on December 20th. One-way economy fares on both routes start as low as $199.
Frontier will offer new flights linking Vail to Dallas-Fort Worth on Thursdays and Sundays, starting on December 16th; to Denver on Mondays and Fridays, starting on December 15th; and to San Francisco on Sundays, starting on December 21st. One-way fares, excluding any extras, start at $79 from Dallas/Fort Worth, $25 from Denver, and $84 from San Francisco.
In addition, United Airlines will compete with Delta Airlines by offering a new daily flight between Washington Dulles and Salt Lake City, which is a short drive from Park City and many of Utah's other major ski resorts, beginning on December 19th. The nearly 5-hour flights will depart Washington at 5:30 p.m. and arrive in Salt Lake City at 8:20 p.m. daily. One-way economy fares for the new route start as low as $309.
Semi-private air travel grows in Colorado and New Mexico
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Travelers looking for a more exclusive, semi-private flying experience have 2 new options to the slopes this winter. Aero, a semi-private airline that targets resort areas, will add flights from its base in Van Nuys, California, to Rifle, Colorado, which is about an hour away from Aspen, starting on December 18th. The flight takes around 2 hours and 10 minutes on Aero's 16-seat Embraer ERJ-135 planes. The one-way fares for this premium service start at $1,950.
In addition, in New Mexico, Advanced Air will start offering flights almost daily from Angel Fire, which is about a 40-minute drive from Taos, to Albuquerque, beginning on December 8th. Advanced Air will use a nine-seat Beechcraft King Air for the approximately 45-minute flights. The one-way fares start at $85.
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