It is not too early to think about summer 2027, and the airlines would like to help. United, Delta, American and Alaska have all announced new Europe routes in the past few weeks, and Dawn Gilbertson, who writes the Journal’s travel newsletter, sorted them for us. The one she is happiest about is Ljubljana.
The new map
United made the biggest splash with ten new international destinations. Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, gets nonstop service from Newark, making United the first U.S. airline to fly there. Gilbertson visited in April and has not stopped raving; United’s chief executive, Scott Kirby, told her it is at the top of his own list of places to visit once the flights start. The rest of the list reads like a summer: Luxembourg; Ibiza; Marseille; Terceira in the Azores; and Olbia and Catania in Italy.
American announced seven new international routes, including nonstops to Vienna and Porto from its Philadelphia hub. It will be the only U.S. airline with a nonstop to Vienna. Alaska Airlines adds Seattle to Athens and Seattle to Paris. Delta will fly nonstop between Austin and Paris.
| Airline | New for summer 2027 | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| United | Ljubljana, Luxembourg, Ibiza, Marseille, Terceira, Olbia, Catania and three more | First U.S. nonstop to Slovenia; secondary cities without a Frankfurt connection |
| American | Vienna and Porto from Philadelphia, among seven routes | Only U.S. carrier nonstop to Vienna |
| Alaska | Seattle–Athens, Seattle–Paris | Long-haul Europe from the Pacific Northwest on an Alaska ticket |
| Delta | Austin–Paris | Texas to France without a hub stop |
The best $50 in Penn Station
Anyone who has been to Moynihan Train Hall knows two things: it is stunning, and the lines snake. Gilbertson escaped the second with a $50 day pass to Amtrak’s Metropolitan Lounge. The pass is included with certain premium tickets and Amtrak status; she had neither, on a one-way to Connecticut. The lounge has several seating areas, a counter with sandwiches, pastries and salads, free coffee and soft drinks, and alcohol for a charge. It is no Delta One. There was no caviar. But it is a quiet oasis above the crowds.
The best parts, if you are not traveling light, are priority boarding and the Red Cap option straight from the lounge. The instruction at check-in was one sentence: come to the front twenty minutes before departure to meet your Red Cap. An employee took a small group and their bags directly to the platform. Red Cap service is free at select Amtrak stations; tips are encouraged. Amtrak has seven Metropolitan lounges; all but New York charge $35, and loyalty points work for a visit.
The Night Owl
Amtrak also discounts late-night and early-morning coach seats on the Northeast Corridor. The Night Owl fares cover select trains departing between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. in cities between Washington and Boston, and they can be combined with the 15% student discount. If you have a college student on the corridor, that is the fare.
How a client should use this
New routes usually launch with promotional fares and, more usefully, with wide-open award availability, because the airline needs the plane full on day one. September is when the 2027 schedules load. A client who has been sitting on a few hundred thousand points can book the two seats to Vienna or Ljubljana now, on points, and hold the cash for the hotel. The travel line in a retirement plan is the one people cut first when the market is down; a trip already paid for in points is the one they take anyway.