Airlines are gearing up for their busy summer schedules, flying to new destinations and increasing frequencies to popular cities. They’re even starting to announce new fall routes. For airfare deal hunters, that means new opportunities to travel somewhere for cheap. New flights are worth tracking, especially when airlines offer attractive deals to market their route announcements.
Low introductory fares are a great starting point
For example, Delta has announced that it was launching flights from Atlanta to Marrakech, Morocco, in October 2025. Delta’s fall flights to Marrakech have been on sale for as low as $534 round trip. That’s well below the average price of about $950 for an itinerary that, up until now, has included connections, according to Going.
- Delta is offering introductory fares on its new route from Atlanta to Marrakech, Morocco.
- The lowest price available is $534 round trip.
- The average price for an itinerary that included connections was $950.
The competition heats up
Sometimes, airlines launch new routes where they’re competing with incumbent carriers. For instance, when Delta started flying from Seattle to Taipei, Taiwan, which was already serviced by EVA Air, a Taiwanese carrier. Within months, two other Taiwanese carriers — China Airlines and Starlux Airlines — also launched flights to Seattle from Taipei.
| Carrier | Route | Price |
|---|---|---|
| EVA Air | Taipei, Taiwan | N/A |
| Delta | Seattle, WA | $740 |
| China Airlines | Taipei, Taiwan | N/A |
| Starlux Airlines | Taipei, Taiwan | N/A |
More competition leads to lower prices
The price war for this summer has already begun, with Delta pricing round-trip flights in early July for as low as $740 in the last 60 days, according to Google Flights. Other airlines have been asking around $1,300 or more per person, nearly twice as much. Taipei has also featured prominently in Delta’s award sales. Last month, points and miles travelers could book round-trip economy tickets to Taipei from Seattle and other West Coast cities for 40,000 Delta SkyMiles plus taxes and fees.
Just wait it out
Sometimes, just waiting for a route to gain traction can lead to lower prices. “Airlines can only forecast so well,” Nastro says, so when anticipated demand doesn’t materialize, “later-in-the-game softening” might lead to good deals. United is an airline to watch this year, with its summer flight additions to far-flung locales like Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and Nuuk, Greenland.
“Airlines can only forecast so well, so when anticipated demand doesn’t materialize, “later-in-the-game softening” might lead to good deals.”
Sign up for airline emails and use travel search tools
Sign up for emails from your favorite airline. Airlines will typically send new flight route deals to their email lists. Typically, only a select number of seats go on sale, so it pays to be among the first to know. Use tools like “Explore” on Google Flights, which shows the cheapest flights to anywhere in the world for the dates you select.
- Sign up for airline emails to get notified about new route deals.
- Use tools like Google Flights to find the cheapest flights to anywhere in the world.
- Set up price alerts and book a fare that lets you rebook and get a flight credit if the price drops.
Take advantage of new airline routes
Travelers can take advantage of new routes by being flexible about where to travel, looking for introductory fares, and using travel search tools. By tracking new route announcements and being prepared to snag a deal, travelers can save money and make the most of their summer travel plans.
