The New Long-Haul Routes Testing How Far Demand Really Stretches

A roll call of new routes landing before the end of the year gives us clues about where airlines see growing demand. Air Canada and United are sending widebodies to a northern Japanese city, two European carriers are joining Turkish Airlines' one-stop Melbourne playbook, and Delta is opening the first U.S. nonstop to Saudi Arabia into a market its own transatlantic partner already tried and left. By the time a new route moves from the drawing board onto the departure board, it’s already the culmination of months of market research and analysis. None of it comes cheap, and not all of it will work. Here is a selection of the quirkier new city pairings launching before the end of the year: Sapporo Splits a Niche United and Air Canada are both adding three-times-weekly nonstop service to Sapporo, Japan. United’s service starts from San Francisco on December 11 and Air Canada from Vancouver on December 17. Both of these seasonal links w