What Does It Mean To Book A Fifth-Freedom Flight?

When booking flights, geography limits our choices to certain airlines. Search for a flight from the U.S. to London, and American carriers like United, American, and Delta will be vying with British names like British Airways and Virgin Atlantic for your business. It's far less likely to find Korean Air or Malaysia Airlines operating a transatlantic route — simply because they're not based in either of those countries. But there are exceptions. "Fifth-freedom" routes are a loophole within the industry that allows passengers to fly international routes with an airline not based in either country.

Fifth-freedom sounds like part of a constitution. And it kind of is. Back in commercial aviation's early days, basic ground rules were set up allowing specific "freedoms" for airlines to operate under. The fifth of these, allows "the right or privilege, in respect of scheduled international air services, granted by one state to another state to put down and to take on, in the territory of the first state, traffic coming from or destined to a third state". In short, an aircraft can land in one country, take on new passengers, and fly to another, as long as its home country is the origin or destination.

For example, if a British Airways flight from London flew to the Bahamas, it could then fly on to Mexico City — home of the world's only Michelin-starred taco — before returning to the U.K., taking on and disembarking passengers at each stop. The Bahamas-to-Mexico segment is the fifth-freedom flight in this itinerary. These flights offer a number of benefits to both the travelers and the airlines.

Originally, fifth-freedom flights were purely practical for longer routes. Aircraft weren't capable of the mammoth 17-hour journeys they are now, so stopping at midpoints along the way allowed them to refuel. It became an added perk for the airline that they could, in practice, run three separate flights on one scheduled itinerary: Those flying from point A to point C, those flying from point A to point B, and those flying from point B to point C. Even when technology improved, aircraft without a fifth-freedom flight would spend the night unused in a foreign airport. Instead, with a fifth-freedom route, the plane stays full and in use, more revenue pours in, and passengers have more options.

Some fifth-freedom routes remain for practical reasons, but others are built to capitalize on busy markets. Emirates, for example, comfortably flies multiple aircraft non-stop from its Dubai hub to New York. But it also runs two fifth-freedom flights from New York to Milan and Athens. In March 2025, the airline added a new route running from Dubai to Miami, with a fifth-freedom flight to Bogota in Colombia.

Passengers can also benefit from fifth-freedom flights for multiple reasons. The flights are often cheaper — both in cash and with points — and can offer the opportunity to experience a larger long-haul aircraft's superior first class or business class on shorter routes. If searching for fifth-freedom flights doesn't turn up cheaper options, try one of the most effective ways to save money while booking a flight.

There are plenty of interesting fifth-freedom flights available. While the savings can be strong, it's aviation enthusiasts searching for top-tier seats who can truly make the most of them. An exceptional first-class seat typically flown on long-haul flights becomes accessible on a three-hour fifth-freedom flight. Singapore Airlines is a perfect example. Instead of traveling all the way to Southeast Asia, grabbing a fifth-freedom flight from New York to Frankfurt allows you to sample its outstanding first-class product much closer to home and without a whopping 19-hour flight. The same route is available heading in the opposite direction.

As mentioned earlier, Emirates boasts some of the best fifth-freedom flights in the industry. Its New York-to-Milan flight is immensely popular and gives passengers the opportunity to experience its first-class cabin, including the epic lounge bar. British Airways also has a range of handy routes in the Caribbean, allowing strong rates for high-quality seats on shorter-than-usual routes. Combined with essential travel hacks for a Caribbean vacation, a BA fifth-freedom flight could be a game changer.

Unfortunately, some airlines don't offer any fifth-freedom flights. While United has some fifth-freedom routes in Asia, American and Delta do not. This means experiences like Delta's award-winning luxurious Delta One Suites don't have any short-route sweet spots, at least as of this writing.