United is adding a new route to Dulles, bringing the high-class aircraft to a new destination

Fresh from growing long-haul travel fun, United Airlines is back with another network update.

This time, the Chicago-based carrier is adding a new domestic route, and will be sending its flagship aircraft to a new destination, as first seen in Cirium’s plans and later confirmed by a carrier spokesperson.

To begin, United will launch flights between Dulles International Airport (IAD) near Washington, DC, and Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) on Dec. 19, 2024. The daily service of the year will depart from IAD at 5:30 pm and arrive at the ground. at SLC at 8:20 pm, local time. The return flight will depart from SLC at 11:30 pm and arrive at IAD at 5:30 am the next morning.

United will operate a mix of jets on the route depending on the time of year. For example, in January, the airline scheduled an Airbus A319, an Airbus A320 and a Boeing 737-700 for a route of 1,827 miles.

In addition to United, Delta Air Lines operates flights between IAD and SLC. Salt Lake City is Delta’s main hub, and the carrier flies to both IAD and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in the Washington metro area. More competition from United should help drive down market fares.

On the other hand, United stopped operating flights between IAD and SLC in December 2013, Cirium schedules show.

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In addition to the new aircraft from its Dulles hub, the airline is making a major change to its Boeing 767 deployment schedule. Next summer, the airline plans to fly a “high-J” Boeing 767-300ER between Newark and Athens, Greece, from on March 31, 2025.

It will be the first time that United has scheduled a high-J Boeing 767 to Athens, and represents an exciting move for this highly focused configuration that has historically flown to major business hubs in Europe.

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The high-J Boeing 767-300ER has just 167 seats in one of the heaviest configurations offered by a US airline. There are 46 premium Polaris pods (comprising 17 rows), as well as 22 Premium Plus recliners, 43 extra-legroom Economy Plus seats and 56 premium standard seats.

United’s high-J Boeing 767 was launched in 2019, and it was designed to fly some of the strongest business-oriented routes, such as Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Heathrow Airport of London (LHR).

Save for the short duration of the coronavirus pandemic, this top variant of the J Boeing 767 appears regularly on flights to Frankfurt, Geneva, London and Paris, among other destinations.

Athens, on the other hand, is a resort destination, yet United seems to think there will be enough demand for premium leisure to fill the rest of the flight. (This week, the airline removed this exception for flights between IAD and LHR.)

It will be interesting to see what happens, but these days, United and Delta are doubling down on premium leisure demand. Whether this move works out for United is anyone’s guess, but at the very least, it should at least make it easier to get a business class upgrade or an award seat in Athens next summer.

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