Have you ever searched for a flight from New York to Milan and wondered why Emirates, an airline based in Dubai, shows up?Or searched Los Angeles to Tokyo and found Singapore Airlines competing with American, United, ANA and Japan Airlines?

You haven't stumbled onto a strange codeshare. You've found one of the more interesting quirks of international aviation: a fifth freedom flight.

For travelers — and especially points and miles enthusiasts — fifth freedom flights can be unusually attractive. They can mean better aircraft, better premium cabins, additional award availability and sometimes surprisingly competitive fares.

And there are several excellent fifth freedom opportunities departing directly from the United States.

What Is a Fifth Freedom Flight?

International aviation operates under a collection of traffic rights commonly called the Freedoms of the Air.

The International Civil Aviation Organization defines fifth freedom rights as allowing an airline to carry passengers between two foreign countries on a service that originates or terminates in the airline's home country.

Here's a simple example:

Dubai → Milan → New York

Emirates is based in the United Arab Emirates.

The airline can obviously sell:

Dubai → Milan

and

Dubai → New York via Milan

But because Emirates has fifth freedom rights between Italy and the United States, it can also sell tickets for:

Milan → New York

You never have to travel to Dubai.

That Milan-New York segment is the fifth freedom flight.

This creates some fascinating opportunities because you can occasionally fly a foreign airline's long-haul product between two countries that have nothing to do with the airline's home country.

Fifth Freedom Flights From the United States

For U.S.-based travelers, these are the routes that matter most.

Current as of August 2026. Airline schedules and traffic rights can change, so verify your dates before making nonrefundable plans.

Emirates: New York JFK – Milan

Route: New York JFK (JFK) ↔ Milan Malpensa (MXP)
Airline: Emirates
Continuing route: New York – Milan – Dubai

This is probably the most famous fifth freedom flight available to Americans.

Emirates operates EK205/EK206 between JFK and Milan, with the current schedule using the Airbus A380. Emirates' own booking system continues to sell JFK-MXP independently.

That means you can fly Emirates between the United States and Europe without going anywhere near Dubai.

The big attraction is the aircraft.

Depending on configuration, this can provide access to Emirates' premium cabins — including its A380 Business and First Class products — on a relatively short transatlantic trip.

Check Emirates JFK-Milan flights

Why I like it

You're getting a Gulf carrier's long-haul service on one of the most competitive transatlantic markets in the world.

For someone wanting to try Emirates without flying all the way to the Middle East, this is one of the easiest opportunities available.

Emirates: Newark – Athens

Route: Newark (EWR) ↔ Athens (ATH)
Airline: Emirates
Continuing route: Newark – Athens – Dubai

Emirates also operates another excellent U.S.-Europe fifth freedom route between Newark and Athens.

Current schedules show Emirates flight EK210 operating EWR-ATH with a Boeing 777.

For travelers heading to Greece, this gives you another option beyond the U.S. and European airlines traditionally serving the market.

Check Emirates Newark-Athens flights

If you're searching for a premium-cabin award to Greece, I would absolutely include Emirates in the search rather than limiting yourself to Star Alliance, SkyTeam and Oneworld airlines.

Emirates: Miami – Bogotá

Route: Miami (MIA) ↔ Bogotá (BOG)
Airline: Emirates
Continuing route: Dubai – Miami – Bogotá

This one may be even stranger.

You can fly Emirates from Florida to Colombia.

Emirates operates the Miami-Bogotá segment with a Boeing 777 and sells tickets independently between the two cities. The current scheduled flight is roughly 3½ hours.

That means travelers can experience an Emirates widebody on a relatively short flight between North and South America.

Check Emirates Miami-Bogotá flights

This is exactly the kind of route I love about fifth freedom flying: an airline and route combination that looks completely wrong when you first see it.

Singapore Airlines: Los Angeles – Tokyo

Route: Los Angeles (LAX) ↔ Tokyo Narita (NRT)
Airline: Singapore Airlines
Continuing route: Los Angeles – Tokyo – Singapore

You don't need to fly to Singapore to experience Singapore Airlines.

Singapore operates a fifth freedom service between Los Angeles and Tokyo Narita, currently using a Boeing 777-300ER.

The airline sells the LAX-NRT segment separately and currently offers First, Business, Premium Economy and Economy on the route.

Even better, Singapore Airlines confirms that its LAX-Singapore network includes a one-stop option through Tokyo Narita.

Search Singapore Airlines flights

For West Coast travelers heading to Japan, this is one I would always compare against ANA, Japan Airlines, United and American.

Singapore Airlines: New York JFK – Frankfurt

Route: New York JFK (JFK) ↔ Frankfurt (FRA)
Airline: Singapore Airlines
Continuing route: Singapore – Frankfurt – New York

Singapore Airlines also provides another famous fifth freedom opportunity across the Atlantic.

The airline operates between Frankfurt and New York JFK as part of its Singapore-Frankfurt-New York service. The route remains listed among current fifth freedom operations in 2026.

That lets U.S. travelers fly Singapore Airlines to Europe without ever visiting Asia.

Search Singapore Airlines flights

This can be particularly interesting when comparing premium cabin fares or looking for another award option to Germany.

Qantas: New York JFK – Auckland

Route: New York JFK (JFK) ↔ Auckland (AKL)
Airline: Qantas
Continuing route: New York – Auckland – Sydney

Want to fly an Australian airline from the United States to New Zealand?

You can.

Qantas operates JFK-Auckland as part of its service between New York and Sydney. Qantas currently advertises standalone New York-Auckland tickets, and its 2026 schedule has reached as many as seven Auckland-New York services per week during peak periods.

Check Qantas New York-Auckland flights

This is a particularly interesting route for Oneworld travelers and anyone looking for alternatives to Air New Zealand or United across the Pacific.

Other U.S.-Connected Fifth Freedom Routes

The routes above are the ones I think will interest the greatest number of U.S. travelers, but they're not the only ones.

Current fifth freedom route listings also include:

Caribbean Airlines is currently selling JFK-Georgetown itineraries for 2026, while Ethiopian is selling Washington-Lomé itineraries. Fiji Airways also continues to sell Honolulu-Kiritimati service.

Caribbean Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines
Fiji Airways
LATAM Airlines
Surinam Airways

These may be less useful to the average U.S. traveler than Emirates or Singapore Airlines, but they can be extremely useful for specific destinations.

Interesting Fifth Freedom Flights Outside the United States

Once you start traveling internationally, fifth freedom flights become even more interesting.

Here are several worth knowing about.

Emirates: Barcelona – Mexico City

Barcelona (BCN) ↔ Mexico City (MEX)

Emirates connects Dubai with Mexico City through Barcelona and has fifth freedom rights on the Spain-Mexico segment.

This creates another unusual opportunity to fly Emirates without visiting Dubai.

Emirates: Sydney – Christchurch

Sydney (SYD) ↔ Christchurch (CHC)

You can fly Emirates between Australia and New Zealand, even though Emirates is based thousands of miles away in Dubai.

For travelers already visiting Australia or New Zealand, these trans-Tasman fifth freedom flights can be a fun way to sample a long-haul carrier on a relatively short trip.

Emirates: Bangkok – Hong Kong

Bangkok (BKK) ↔ Hong Kong (HKG)

Another classic fifth freedom route lets travelers fly Emirates between Thailand and Hong Kong.

This can be especially attractive if you're comparing premium cabin fares within Asia.

British Airways: Singapore – Sydney

Singapore (SIN) ↔ Sydney (SYD)

British Airways can carry local passengers between Singapore and Australia as part of its service linking London and Sydney.

That gives passengers another long-haul widebody option between Singapore and Australia.

Qantas: Singapore – London

Singapore (SIN) ↔ London Heathrow (LHR)

The reverse concept applies to Qantas.

An Australian airline can carry passengers between Singapore and the United Kingdom as part of its Australia-Europe network.

EVA Air: Bangkok – Europe

Taiwan-based EVA Air operates several interesting fifth freedom routes from Bangkok, including:

• Bangkok ↔ Amsterdam
• Bangkok ↔ London
• Bangkok ↔ Vienna

These can be useful alternatives when searching for premium-cabin flights between Southeast Asia and Europe.

KLM: Singapore – Bali

Singapore (SIN) ↔ Denpasar/Bali (DPS)

Dutch airline KLM operates between Singapore and Bali as part of a longer service originating in Amsterdam.

It's another good example of why you shouldn't automatically assume that the airline flying a route must come from either the origin or destination country.

United's Fifth Freedom Network in Asia

Fifth freedom flying isn't limited to foreign airlines serving the United States. U.S. airlines can do exactly the same thing overseas.

United currently operates several fifth freedom routes in Asia, including:

• Tokyo Narita ↔ Cebu
• Tokyo Narita ↔ Ulaanbaatar
• Tokyo Narita ↔ Kaohsiung
• Tokyo Narita ↔ Koror
• Hong Kong ↔ Bangkok
• Hong Kong ↔ Ho Chi Minh City

For U.S. travelers connecting through Tokyo or Hong Kong, these routes can be particularly useful because you can stay on United rather than switching to a partner airline.

Why Should Points and Miles Travelers Care?

This is where fifth freedom routes get particularly interesting.

1. More award possibilities

If you're searching JFK-Milan and only look at American, Delta, United and European carriers, you've missed Emirates entirely.

Likewise:

LAX-Tokyo? Don't forget Singapore Airlines.

JFK-Auckland? Don't forget Qantas.

When award availability is poor, adding one unexpected airline to the search can make a big difference.

2. Better premium cabins

Many fifth freedom services are extensions of very long international flights.

That often means the airline is using a widebody aircraft with international Business or First Class seats even though the fifth freedom segment itself may be much shorter.

Miami-Bogotá on an Emirates 777 is a perfect example.

You're flying roughly 3½ hours, but you're sitting in an aircraft designed to fly between continents.

3. More competition can mean better fares

The foreign carrier is competing directly with airlines based in the countries at both ends of the route.

That sometimes produces aggressive fares — particularly in premium cabins.

Don't assume that the exotic airline will automatically be more expensive.

4. You can sample an airline without traveling to its home country

Want to try Emirates?

Fly New York-Milan.

Want to try Singapore Airlines?

Fly Los Angeles-Tokyo.

Want to try Qantas?

Fly New York-Auckland.

For aviation geeks, that's half the fun.

How to Find Fifth Freedom Flights

You don't need a special booking website.

Start by searching your normal flight tools, but pay attention to airlines that look out of place.

For example, search:

New York → Milan

and you'll see Emirates competing with airlines such as Delta and European carriers.

Then compare the price directly with the operating airline.

Useful places to search include:

Google Flights for cash fares and schedule comparisons.

Seats.aero can also be useful when searching for award availability across supported frequent-flyer programs.

And most importantly, search the airline's own website. Fifth freedom routes sometimes produce fare or award options that you might otherwise overlook.

Not Every Strange Foreign-Airline Route Is Fifth Freedom

There is one important distinction.

Just because a foreign-looking airline operates between two places doesn't automatically make the flight fifth freedom.

For example, you'll sometimes see these routes described alongside fifth freedom flights:

• Air France: Los Angeles – Papeete
• Air Tahiti Nui: Los Angeles – Paris
• French bee: San Francisco – Papeete

They are extremely useful routes, but because of the political relationships involving France and French Polynesia, they aren't technically the same thing as a traditional fifth freedom service. Current fifth freedom databases specifically flag them this way.

The practical lesson for travelers is still the same:

Search every airline flying the route, not just the airlines you expect to find.

The Bottom Line

Fifth freedom flights are one of those obscure aviation rules that can actually be useful to ordinary travelers.

For U.S. travelers, my favorites are:

New York JFK → Milan on Emirates

Newark → Athens on Emirates

Miami → Bogotá on Emirates

Los Angeles → Tokyo on Singapore Airlines

New York JFK → Frankfurt on Singapore Airlines

and

New York JFK → Auckland on Qantas

They're worth remembering whenever you're searching cash fares or award availability.

The next time an airline appears in your search results and you think, Why on earth does that airline fly there? — don't ignore it.

You may have just found a fifth freedom flight.

Route information verified August 2026. Fifth freedom services are especially prone to schedule, aircraft and traffic-right changes, so confirm current operation with the airline before booking positioning flights or other nonrefundable travel.