Two of the best airlines in the world announced new service to the United States Monday, giving U.S.-based travelers new, tantalizing options for their next trips overseas.
Etihad Airways said it will launch service to Atlanta (ATL) in 2025 while Taiwanese carrier EVA Air told reporters that it will begin service to Dallas (DFW), too.
This news isn't just important for travelers in Texas and Georgia, however. New route announcements are exciting for all travelers – especially those looking for a great deal or those hoping to use points and miles to fly lie-flat.
Etihad's New Route to Atlanta (ATL)
The busiest airport on earth is getting a major addition to its route map when Etihad launches nonstop service to Abu Dhabi (AUH) in 2025.
Etihad Airways announced the new U.S. route among 10 others in its biggest route expansion announcement ever. According to Etihad, ATL service will begin July 2, 2025 with four weekly flights on an Airbus A350.
In addition to its brand-new Atlanta route, Etihad will fly to Boston (BOS), Chicago-O'Hare (ORD), New York City (JFK), and Washington, D.C. (IAD) in 2025. Up in Canada, the Middle Eastern airline also flies nonstop to Toronto (YYZ).
The new ATL flights are already on sale – though you won't find them through sites like Google Flights just yet. That means travelers can book Etihad flights to its hub in Abu Dhabi as well as connect onward to more than 80 other world destinations. Travelers can use American Airlines miles or Etihad's own Guest Miles. You can easily transfer American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One miles or Citi ThankYou Points to Etihad.
Etihad's expansion to the busiest airport in the world is the airline's second new addition in the U.S. in the last year. Earlier this year, the Boston route took flight for the first time.
EVA Will Fly to Dallas (DFW)
Every airline wants to be in Dallas right now, and that includes Taipei (TPE)-based EVA Air.
According to a report from the Central News Agency, EVA Air executives told reporters about the new Texas route Monday, saying it will begin the new route on Nov. 3, 2025.
In addition to the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) service, EVA will fly to Chicago-O'Hare (ORD), Houston-Intercontinental (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), New York City (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), and Seattle (SEA) in 2025.
The new Dallas flights are not yet on sale, but they will soon be available to travelers with Air Canada, Avianca, United, and ANA Mileage Club miles who want to fly to Asia – meaning if you've got transferrable credit card points from any major bank, you've got a way to book these flights.
EVA is well-known for its fancy business class seats, which we flew in 2023.
Travelers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area have gotten used to new service announcements like this. EVA's entry into DFW will make it the eighth new long-haul service since the pandemic, according to data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company. The latest was earlier this year when Cathay Pacific announced nonstop service to Hong Kong (HKG), but the airport has also welcomed Air France to Paris (CDG), Fiji Airways to Fiji (NAN), Finnair to Helsinki (HEL), Iberia to Madrid (MAD), Qantas to Melbourne (MEL) and Turkish Airways to Istanbul (IST) since 2020.
It's an unprecedented run of new service to the Texas hub and a boon for travelers based in Texas or for those who can book positioning flights to DFW from their home airport to take advantage.
Bottom Line
Etihad and EVA Air will both begin new service to the United States next year, launching new routes to Atlanta (ATL) and Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) respectively.
The announcements – both coincidentally made Monday – give U.S. travelers yet another luxurious option for flying overseas starting next summer and fall.
