Fifth Freedom Routes

A fifth freedom route is the right of an airline to fly between two foreign countries on a route originating or ending in the airline’s own country. KLM flies from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, a 12-hour flight, and then Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta (using their fifth freedom of the air), a two-hour flight. I can buy a ticket from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur (or Jakarta), or simply from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta. Fifth freedom routes open the door to itineraries outside the scope of ordinary. How about a lie-flat business class seat on Cathay Pacific, from JFK to Vancouver? Perhaps you’re searching for a flight on the world’s highest-rated carrier, Singapore Airlines, from Houston to Manchester, England? Maybe LAX to Tahiti on Air France? Or JFK to Milan with Emirates? Regardless, fifth freedom routes provide opportunities. What follows are compelling carriers and routes in the fifth freedom conversation.

• Singapore Airlines
  • JFK – Frankfurt
  • Houston – Manchester, England
  • Hong Kong – San Francisco
  • LAX – Seoul
• Cathay Pacific
  • JFK – Vancouver
  • Osaka – Taipei
• Emirates
  • Milan – JFK
  • Bangkok – Hong Kong
  • Colombo – Singapore
  • Larnaca (Cyprus) – Malta
• Qatar Airways
  • Bangkok – Hanoi
  • Ho Chi Minh City – Phnom Penh
• Etihad
  • Beijing – Nagoya, Japan
• Swiss Air
  • Dubai – Muscat
• Lufthansa
  •  Baku, Azerbaijan – Ashgabad, Turkmenistan
• Qantas
  • London – Dubai
• KLM
  • Jakarta – Kuala Lumpur
  • Bahrain – Kuwait
• Air France
  • LAX – Tahiti
• Air New Zealand
  • LAX – London Heathrow
• British Airways
  • Harare – Johannesburg
  • Singapore – Sydney
• Jet Airways
  • Ho Chi Minh City – Bangkok
• Ethiopian Airlines
  • LAX – Dublin
• United Airlines
  • Guam – Hong Kong
  • Seoul – Tokyo Narita
• Korean Airlines
  • Honolulu – Tokyo Narita
• LAN
  • Madrid – Frankfurt
• Delta
  • Manila – Tokyo Narita
  • Shanghai – Tokyo Narita
• Garuda Indonesia
  • Mumbai – Bangkok
  • Singapore – Amsterdam
• South African Airways
  • Washington D.C. – Accra

I’ll be in Ho Chi Minh City soon, and I had my eye on a Qatar Airways flight to Phnom Penh. However, I decided to forego Cambodia, this time around. I’d also like to try Garuda Indonesia from Singapore to Amsterdam, and JFK to Milan with Emirates. In the comments below, let me know the fifth freedom route you’d love to fly, or have already flown.