The US just gained a ton of new flights to this popular European destination

Feeling the itch to visit Portugal? Flight options abound.

Just in the last few weeks, airlines launched a host of new routes to the coastal European nation from the U.S. It started in May, with new flights to the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, and also smaller cities like Porto and Faro.

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Even more recently, United Airlines launched service to Madeira, and TAP Air Portugal began nonstop flights between San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Terceira Lajes Airport (TER) in the Azores.

It’s the latest in a decade-long travel growth spurt to the southern European country, which saw a record number of American visitors last year — and no signs of slowing.

Huge flight growth between the US and Portugal

During the first half of 2025, airlines were set to operate 88% more flights than they did just six years prior in 2019, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium — and an eye-popping 352% more than a decade ago.

Sure, airlines grew transatlantic flying capacity to a wide range of European countries during that period, from the United Kingdom to France — and especially Italy and Spain. But it’s nothing compared to the rate at which airlines have grown in Portugal, including to airports well beyond Lisbon Airport (LIS), the country’s largest hub.

“I think it’s the combination of weather, foods, and the hospitality of the Portuguese. And you see that not only for leisure, but you see that for business and [students],” Sofia Lufinha, chief customer officer at TAP Air Portugal, told TPG in a recent interview.

TAP, the country’s flag carrier, has certainly played a big role in opening up new avenues between U.S. cities and its home country.

During the first half of this year, TAP’s seats between the U.S. and its home base were up a whopping 70% over 2019, per Cirium.

Twenty percent of TAP’s revenue in 2024 came from American travelers, Lufinha noted — double the mark set five years ago.

An enduring trend

Portugal experienced a tourism boom in the 2010s as travelers flocked to experience its warmer climate and relatively affordable prices — not to mention a shorter flight time compared to some other destinations in Europe.

“We saw individuals traveling there like [20]14, ‘15, ’16, it was really ramping up,” Rose Gray, Wisconsin-based travel adviser at travel agency Fox World Travel, recalled.

Keeping Portugal at the forefront today: a lengthening of Europe’s peak travel season, with travelers flocking across the Atlantic even during the colder “offseason” months.

That’s particularly true in southern Europe, as TPG highlighted in our Travel Trends Report a year ago.

Travelers Gray speaks to — who might have once visited the country briefly en route to a river cruise — are returning, she said, for longer and more leisurely stays.

“Where it used to be cramming stuff in, in a post-COVID era of revenge travel, now they’re coming back and taking it slower … getting to interact with the locals. Eating like the locals,” she said. “I don’t think this is a flash in the pan.”

TAP doubles down

That’s what TAP was counting on when it opened its first U.S. airport lounge this spring at Miami International Airport (MIA), as part of a collaboration with Avianca, its Colombia-based Star Alliance partner.

Though TAP isn’t planning any other U.S. outposts at this point, Lufinha said, the carrier plans to continue tapping into partner clubs (such as United’s).

But the carrier sees that Miami facility, combined with this year’s three new U.S. routes — not to mention investments to its app and digital channels — as an opportunity to lure travelers still hungry to visit (or revisit) the destination.

“It shows that we are here to stay and to grow and that we want to be part of this huge market that is discovering Portugal and Europe, still,” Lufinha said. “There’s a lot of growth and we want to be part of that growth.”

Booking a trip to Portugal

For travelers hoping to redeem points on a flight to Portugal, United’s MileagePlus program is undoubtedly a good place to start. The Chicago-based airline has the most expansive route map of any U.S. airline.

Keep in mind, United operates smaller narrow-body aircraft on some of these routes, as opposed to the large twin-aisle jets seen on many transatlantic flights. So even if you’re booking a premium-cabin seat, there’s a chance it’ll be a standard domestic first-class recliner — not a lie-flat bed.

Chase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to MileagePlus at a 1:1 ratio. You can also book United seats through its Star Alliance partners, such as Air Canada’s Aeroplan, Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer and Turkish Airlines’ Miles&Smiles.

As for TAP: It’s a transfer partner of both Capital One and Bilt Rewards. On top of sharing the same Star Alliance partners as United, it also has a loyalty partnership with JetBlue.

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