United Airlines has announced that it will significantly expand its international reach by 2025, reaching some of the world’s most unusual destinations – becoming a new alternative to familiar old favourites, such as Paris, Rome, and Tokyo. Among them are Senegal, Mongolia, Greenland, and Palau.
Beginning May 21, United will also introduce three weekly flights from its base in Newark, New Jersey to Palermo, Sicily. On May 16, the airline will begin four weekly non-stop flights from its New York/Newark hub to Faro, in Portugal’s Algarve region, followed by three weekly services to the island of Madeira from June 7. The new non-stop service from New York/Newark to Bilbao, northern Spain starting May 31, while providing a strong connection to United’s existing services in Italy, Spain and Portugal.
The most important new route, perhaps, is to the capital of Greenland, Nuuk. Available starting June 14, “The discerning traveler has flown so often to Paris, Rome, and Madrid that they want something different,” said Patrick Quayle, United’s Senior Vice President of Global Network Planning and Alliances.
United’s strategy sets it apart from many of its US and international competitors, which focus almost exclusively on medium-haul and domestic routes. Quayle says, “We’re sliding where the puck is going.” It serves as a statement of United’s commitment to the variety of programs it offers customers. The airline will begin daily service between Dulles International Airport in Washington and Dakar, Senegal, on May 23. It will resume flights from Tokyo’s Narita International Airport to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on May 1.
Despite previous setbacks—the announced end of one route to Bergen, Norway, in 2023 due to lack of demand—Quayle hopes the airline can find new ways to innovate and expand into less traditional markets. He said that a diverse network can promote customer loyalty and bring additional benefits through the incentives offered by such networks. United also intends to expand operations to its West Coast destinations, although details are not known.
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