For the third consecutive year, the U.S. airline, United Airlines, will connect New York and Tenerife with a direct flight, and starting this year, will operate a significantly extended service. The connection between Newark Liberty International Airport (New Jersey) and Tenerife South, will resume on 1 June 2024 and will operate three times weekly until at least the end of March 2025. During this period, over 23,400 seats will be on offer on flights arriving into Tenerife.

The Vice-President of the Island Council and Councillor for Tourism, Lope Afonso, said: “This is undoubtedly one of the most important pieces of news of the year in terms of air connectivity. It is an agreement that we have been working on for a long time, which began to take shape during the last term of office and which we have been able to conclude after months of intense negotiations at Turismo de Tenerife. This represents a unique opportunity to consolidate the destination in one of the most sought-after feeder markets. It best suits the quality profile we are committed to in our strategy of sustainable management of the destination, due to its interest in the values of the island and our cultural offer and the spending capacity at the destination.”

The CEO of Turismo de Tenerife, Dimple Melwani, said: “The extension of the direct connection between New York/Newark and Tenerife South is a great opportunity for Tenerife in a market whose interest in the island continues to grow and where we have seen indirect growth in recent years in travellers from the United States and Canada in the winter months.” Melwani adds that “the extension of direct flights for the winter is great news for the island and is of vital importance in successfully implementing Tenerife’s strategy of accessing better target markets with longer stays and spending capacity at the destination, and for the business opportunities that can be generated for Tenerife in different sectors: audiovisual, MICE, green energy, digital economy and innovation, among others.”

The Country Sales Manager Spain of United Airlines, Antonio de Toro, said: “As the only airline connecting North America with the Canary Islands, we are delighted to return to Tenerife with a significantly extended service that now includes the winter season, offering our customers on both sides of the Atlantic even greater travel choice. Customers can take advantage of a direct connection to and from the U.S., as well as an unrivalled route network from United’s New York/Newark hub, offering convenient nonstop connections to destinations across the Americas.”

United’s service will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from the United States (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays during the winter season); and Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays from Tenerife (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the winter season). The flight will take approximately seven hours and will be operated with a B757-200 aircraft, featuring a total of 176 seats – 16 flat-bed seats in United PolarisSM business and 160 seats in economy, including 42 Economy PlusSM seats with added legroom and increased personal space.

Booming market

The number of American tourists taking staying in Tenerife last year stood at 36,531, compared with 26,507 in 2022. In the first three months of 2024, the number of tourists from the USA – 8,828 in total – increased by 16.8% compared to the same period in 2023. Furthermore, 62% of tourism from this origin using establishments on the island takes place in the winter months, compared with 38% in the summer months (June-September).

Tenerife’s strategy in the North American market has been reinforced in recent years. The island is offered as a destination by tour operators such as Apple Leisure Group Vacations, and is a member of the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA); the Virtuoso travel agency network, with more than 21,000 agents; the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), one of the largest travel trade associations in the world; Travel Leaders Network; and Signature Travel Work, which has more than 15,000 travel advisors.