With the winter holiday season upon us, airline network planners have kicked off the holiday season by adding new warm-weather destinations for US travelers. In December, the United States will welcome eight new airline routes across Europe, Latin America, and North America. At a glance, these new routes are:

New long-haul entries

Two new long-haul routes are set to begin in December, with United Airlines service to Christchurch and Norse Atlantic Airways service to Miami. Starting December 8th, United Airlines will connect San Francisco with Christchurch, New Zealand, using a Boeing 787-9, with three weekly frequencies. United is currently the US carrier with the most flights to Australia and New Zealand. In particular, United will have a 70% larger presence in New Zealand than in 2019. The airline is already the most prominent US airline to Auckland Airport in New Zealand, with nonstop connecting from San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The other long-haul addition to the United States will be operated by low-cost carrier Norse Atlantic Airways, connecting Miami and Paris Charles de Gaulle with three weekly frequencies using a Boeing 787-9. In September, the airline relocated its operations in South Florida from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Miami International. Last summer, Norse connected Fort Lauderdale with Oslo, London Gatwick, and Berlin. Paris will be Norse's third destination from Miami, joining London Gatwick and Oslo, both launched in September.

New entries for the short-haul market 

As many travelers look for warm-climate destinations worldwide, there will be an expanded offering for US travelers to destinations in the Caribbean and Central America.

First and foremost, Aviance will add its 13th destination in the United States with four weekly flights connecting Oakland with San Salvador. The airline already serves Boston (BOS), Dallas (DFW), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Washington Dulles (IAD), Houston (IAH), New York (JFK), Los Angeles (LAX), Orlando (MCO), Miami (MIA), Ontario (ONT), San Francisco (SFO), Las Vegas (LAS), and San Juan (SJU).

New York LaGurdia's largest airline, Delta Air Lines, will connect the airport with Nassau, Bahamas, with daily flights returning to the market for the first time since January 2017. This new service will go head-to-head against JetBlue's existing flight in this market and will complement Delta's existing service between New York-JFk and Nassau. Spirit Airlines will also add flights to the Caribbean in December with four weekly frequencies between San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Fort Myers. Eleven US airlines operate flights between Puerto Rico and the continental US, and Spirit has the fourth largest market share, just behind Frontier Airlines.

American Airlines will launch a once-weekly frequency between Pittsburgh and Cancun as Cancun has grown to become one of the most popular destinations for US travelers and one of the fastest-growing airports. Fellow oneworld alliance member Alaska Airlines will also start flights between Los Angeles and Guatemala City in December. The new service will operate daily and be the airline's first service to the Latin American nation.

Lastly, Porter Airlines will expand its presence in the US with a new daily service between Miami and Toronto Pearson using an Embraer E195 E2. The airline already connects Ottawa with Fort Lauderdale and recently launched flights from Toronto to Fort Lauderdale. Moreover, Porter also introduced a new service between Fort Myers, Florida, and Toronto in November. With Florida being one of the most popular destinations for Canadians from the northern regions, these new flights will likely do well.