Summary Never has the all-important third quarter had so many US/Canada-Europe flights. United is the largest operator and has 13.5% of the non-stop market.
JetBlue has more than doubled its European presence compared to last year, but from a low base. For northern airlines, the third quarter (July-September) is vital for profitability and to help boost financial reserves for the winter. Against this backdrop, there have never been more US/Canada-Europe flights in Q3 than this year.
While passenger and fare figures will be out later, strong demand is evident, including for the premium cabins. It would be Newark's largest-capacity equipment. A record number of flights Using Cirium data to examine all US/Canada-Europe flights shows 65,646 non-stop departures in Q3 2024 (double for both ways).
Spread across 92 days, that's an average of 714 take-offs daily. Flights are 7.4% above the previous record, Q3 2023.
It equates to around 49 additional departures daily. Slightly smaller aircraft, both widebodies and narrowbodies, partly helped development. The average flight now has 273 seats, the lowest number for eight years.
Despite many airline changes, departures have risen strongly compared to before the pandemic in 2019. Comparing now with then shows that Atlantic Airways, Discover, Iberojet, JetBlue, Neos, Norse Atlantic, and PLAY now serve the enormous market. In comparison, these carriers no longer do: Aeroflot (due to the war and sanctions) Air Italy (defunct) Air New Zealand (previously had fifth freedom Auckland-Los Angeles-London Heathrow flights) Eurowings Norwegian (ended long-haul flights) Thomas Cook (defunct) TUI Fly Belgium TUI fly Netherlands Ukraine International (due to the war) XL Airways France (defunct) The top 10 airlines: Q3 2024 More than 40 passenger airlines have flights in this market, with the top 10 shown below.
United is number one with about 13.5% of departures. In 2019, Delta was first.
It was when Norwegian ranked seventh, but it has exited the market, with Turkish Airlines now in the top 10. United has an average of 97 Europe-bound departures daily and 75 routes. As you'd expect, British Airways is the leading non-North American carrier, although it is nearly half the size of United.
It typically has 51 daily departures and 32 US/Canada routes in the peak quarter. When added to Delta, American, Air Canada, Air Transat, JetBlue, and WestJet, US/Canadian operators have almost half the market (48.1%).
The many more European carriers have 51.2%, and fifth-freedom operators Air Tahiti Nui, Emirates, and Singapore Airlines, which stop en route in Europe, have 0.7%.
How many of them can you name? The top 10 winners JetBlue has grown the most year-on-year. It has added 609 departures, equivalent to six+ more flights daily. It has doubled its European presence in a year (+104%) and now has 11 routes, helping it to become the 18th largest operator.
In contrast, some 15 airlines have cut flights slightly or are flat. JetBlue only entered the European market in 2021, and its growth looks disproportionately strong because it is from a very low base. Still, even with the expansion, it only has one in 56 departures (1.
6% of the market). Its low-capacity equipment means it has an even smaller presence when seats, available seat miles, and passengers are considered. What is more intriguing is what will happen to JetBlue's European operations.
Given the carrier's ongoing significant challenges, it has deferred A321XLRs, cut many airports and routes without involving Europe, and prioritized East Coast markets where it can win . What role will Europe take in the future?.
