The end of a direct connection
Donald Trump’s tariff policy has delivered the final blow to the direct flight connection between Tenerife and New York, which was inaugurated with much fanfare in June 2022. In September of last year, just a month before the presidential election that brought the Republican to victory, US carrier United Airlines announced it would not, in principle, renew its weekly flight between Newark (New Jersey) and Tenerife South airports. The tariffs, which impose additional costs impacting airline operations, ultimately weighed heavily in making this decision permanent.
Adapting the strategy for the US market
Lope Afonso, Vice President and Minister of Tourism for the Tenerife Island Council (Cabildo), downplayed the role of the tariffs in this move. He pointed out that the island is instead focusing on the alternative of indirect connections to meet the growing demand from the US tourism market. Afonso acknowledged that United Airlines’ direct operation “had been playing an interesting role,” but emphasized that “the push for indirect connectivity keeps our Island as the leader in the arrival of American tourists to the Canaries, with a 44.3% increase during the first four months of this year.”
The numbers behind the travel routes
In 2024, United’s direct flight carried only 17% of the American passengers who arrived in Tenerife. This is in stark contrast to the 67% who arrived after one stopover, or the 16% who passed through two airports before landing on the island. Of the 9,111 passengers who arrived in Tenerife from New York last year, almost half (4,228) did so on flights with a layover in cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, London, or Keflavik (Iceland). Just over half used the direct flight from Newark.
Key US gateways to Tenerife
In terms of passenger numbers, New York is followed by Miami (3,674), Boston (1,546), Washington (1,491), Chicago (1,237), Los Angeles (1,047), and San Francisco (755). Travelers also arrive from thirteen other cities, from Orlando to Seattle, including Denver, Houston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Las Vegas. All of these routes currently require a stopover in Spanish or European airports.
A future built on airline partnerships
The strategy for this market, assures Lope Afonso, “involves continuing to work on promoting the destination in catchment areas where demand already exists, with the goal of further stimulating it.” He stresses that “collaboration with airlines identified as main carriers that use their hubs in their connection strategies to Tenerife is crucial.” This includes partnerships with Iberia and Air Europa from Madrid, TAP from Lisbon, and Icelandair/Play from Keflavik. Afonso adds that they “maintain collaboration with United Airlines to establish a connection strategy through their hubs,” and notes that the company “has not ruled out resuming direct operations with the arrival of its new fleet in the near future.” Furthermore, Tenerife continues meetings with other airlines interested in evaluating a possible direct route to the island.
