When it comes to transatlantic routes between North America and Europe, we typically think of long-haul odysseys and overnight red-eye flights. However, under certain technicalities, flights between these two regions can be a lot quicker, with some this month taking as little as two hours and 15 minutes.
It is worth noting from the outset that this is possible when we include Greenland as part of North America. This is geographically the case, even though it is more European culturally and politically, thanks to its close ties to Denmark. Furthermore, Cirium, an aviation analytics company, lists flights from Greenland among those departing from North America this month, so, without further ado, let’s dive into the data and learn more!
The Shortest Of The Lot
According to Cirium, the shortest route being served on a direct, non-stop basis between Europe and North America this November is the 874-mile (1,407 km) hop between Keflavík (KEF) in Iceland and Nuuk (GOH) in Greenland. As pictured above, Dash 8 turboprops from Air Greenland are among those serving this route, with nine outbound and seven inbound flights scheduled this month. However, they typically take over three hours.
This is where Icelandair comes in. Since the expansion of Nuuk Airport, the carrier has been able to deploy larger and faster 
Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets on this route, with these aircraft able to cover the distance in just two hours and 15 minutes. It is serving this route on a twice-weekly basis in November 2025, with Greenland being an important market for the carrier. Indeed, Visit Greenland quotes CEO, Bogi Nils Bogason, as saying:
“By connecting our four destinations in Greenland to our extensive route network via Iceland, we can offer some of the best connections between Greenland and our 60 destinations in Europe and North America.”
The Azores Are Less Than Five Hours Away From The US
Moving away from Greenland, and into territories that are culturally and politically North American as well as geographically speaking, Cirium lists three routes shorter than 2,500 miles between Europe and the US that are being served this month on a non-stop basis. Contrastingly, Canada’s shortest is 2,507 miles. Two of these serve the Azores, and are operated by Azores Airlines using Airbus A321neo twinjets, as seen above.
Both of these corridors depart from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), from which Azores Airlines operates daily flights between its home archipelago. This November, this coverage is split between 26 round trips to and from Ponta Delgada (PDL) and four to and from Lajes (TER). The former route clocks in at a distance of 2,395 miles (3,854 km), while the latter, located on the island of Terceira, is 2,299 miles (3,700 km) away.
In both cases, the eastbound flights from Boston to these destinations are scheduled to have a block time of just four hours and 55 minutes. Operating overnight, they leave Boston late in the evening and arrive early the next morning, with some of the Ponta Delgada flights continuing to destinations such as Porto (OPO) and Praia (RAI) with a second leg. Flying from the Azores to Boston takes longer, with a block time of six hours and 10 minutes.
Icelandair’s Shortest US Route
The third and final route between the US and Europe that is shorter than 2,500 miles long and sees direct non-stop flights this month also originates in Boston, and sees us return to coverage of Icelandair. In November 2025, the Icelandic flag carrier is flying 10 times a week between Logan Airport and Reykjavík-Keflavík, amounting to 45 round-trip flights: 29 with the Boeing 767-30ER, 15 with the 737 MAX 8, and one with the 757-200.
This route clocks in at a distance of 2,413 miles (3,882 km), and, flying eastbound from Boston back to Iceland, the journey can have block times as short as five hours and 10 minutes. As is typical for transatlantic flights, the westbound legs take longer, but can still be as short as five hours and 40 minutes.
