Category Archives: United Airlines

United Airlines announces 5 new international destinations

United today announced the largest transatlantic expansion in its history, including 10 new flights and five new, vogue destinations – Amman, Jordan; Bergen, Norway; Azores, Portugal; Palma de Mallorca, Spain and Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands. All of the new routes – which are set to begin in Spring 2022 – are not served by any other North American carrier. Additionally, next year, United will add new flights to five popular European destinations: Berlin, Dublin, Milan, Munich and Rome. Lastly, United will launch seven routes that were interrupted due to the pandemic to Bangalore, Frankfurt, Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, Nice and Zurich. Flights are subject to government approval.

Amman, Jordan

United will begin new capital to capital service between Washington, D.C. and Amman, Jordan starting May 5. Customers will be able to explore the numerous historical sites in and around Amman, as well as visit Jordan’s other top destinations including Petra, the Dead Sea and the Wadi Rum desert. United will be the only North American carrier flying direct to Amman with service three times weekly with a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.

Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal

United will add a third Portuguese destination to its global network with brand new flights between New York/Newark and Ponta Delgada in the Azores beginning May 13. The carrier will offer the most flights between the U.S. and Portugal of any North American airline and will be the only airline to fly to the Azores from the New York metro area. This daily service joins United’s existing flights to Porto, which will return in March, and Lisbon, which the airline is currently operating from New York/Newark and will resume from Washington, D.C. next summer. United will fly a brand-new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft featuring United’s new signature interior with enhanced seat back entertainment with Bluetooth connectivity and overhead bin space for every customer.

Bergen, Norway

Beginning May 20, United will become the only U.S. carrier to fly to Norway with flights launching between New York/Newark and Bergen. United will offer three times weekly service on a Boeing 757-200, allowing customers to experience Bergen’s surrounding mountainous landscape and breathtaking fjords. United will be the only carrier to fly to Bergen from the U.S.

Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain

United is expanding its Spanish beach getaway destinations with three times weekly flights between New York/Newark and Palma de Mallorca in the Balearic Islands, launching June 2 with a Boeing 767-300ER. This will be the first and only flight between the U.S. and Mallorca and will add to United’s existing service to Madrid and Barcelona.

Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Travelers looking for an additional new beach destination can enjoy the stunning black and white sand beaches of Spain’s Canary Islands with United’s new flight from New York/Newark to Tenerife. United will be the only airline to fly direct between the Canary Islands and North America with three-times weekly service launching June 9 with a Boeing 757-200. Along with the new service to Palma de Mallorca, United will fly to more Spanish destinations from North America than any other airline.

Destination	From	To	Service	Starting
Amman, Jordan	IAD	AMM	3x week	May 5, 2022
Ponta Delgado, Azores, Portugal	EWR	PDL	3x week/daily*	May 13, 2022
Bergen, Norway	EWR	BGO	3x week	May 20, 2022
Tenerife, Spain	EWR	TFS	3x week	June 2, 2022
Palma de Mallorca, Spain	EWR	PMI	3x week	June 9, 2022

^* EWR-PDL operates daily June-August 2022

Expanded European Service

United is also adding flights to some of Europe’s most iconic cities in anticipation of a resurgence in visitors. Next spring United will add:

New daily flights between Denver and Munich – joining existing service from Denver to Frankfurt and London which is expected to resume in March. United is the only U.S. airline to offer transatlantic service from Denver.
New daily flights between Chicago and Milan, joining existing seasonal flights between Chicago and Rome. United will be the only airline to offer a direct flight between Chicago and Milan, adding to its existing service between New York/Newark and Milan.
New daily capital to capital service between Washington, D.C. and Berlin, joining our other service to Berlin from New York/Newark. United is the only U.S. airline with direct flights to Berlin.
An additional daily flight from New York/Newark to Dublin and Rome.

In addition to these new routes, United will begin seven routes that were interrupted by the pandemic:

Daily flights between San Francisco and Bangalore beginning May 26
Daily flights between New York/Newark and Nice beginning April 29
A second daily flight between New York/Newark and Frankfurt beginning April 23
Daily flights between Chicago and Zurich beginning April 23
Flights from Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and New York/Newark to Tokyo’s Haneda airport by March 26

Destination	From	To	Service	Starting
Munich, Germany	DEN	MUC	Daily	April 23, 2022
Dublin, Ireland (2nd daily flight)	EWR	DUB	Daily	April 23, 2022
Berlin, Germany	IAD	BER	Daily	May 6, 2022
Milan, Italy	ORD	MXP	Daily	May 6, 2022
Rome, Italy (2nd daily flight)	EWR	FCO	Daily	May 26, 2022

Even more new destinations to fall in love with

In addition to the new routes, we will begin service to seven routes next year that were interrupted by the pandemic, including launching service to Bangalore and Nice and adding flights to Zurich, Tokyo Haneda and Frankfurt.

Destination	From	To	Service	Starting
Tokyo, Japan	EWR	HND	Daily	By March 26, 2022
Tokyo, Japan	LAX	HND	Daily	By March 26, 2022
Tokyo, Japan	IAD	HND	Daily	March 26, 2022
Frankfurt, Germany (2nd daily flight)	EWR	FRA	Daily	April 23, 2022
Zurich, Switzerland	ORD	ZRH	Daily	April 23, 2022
Nice, France	EWR	NCE	Daily	April 29, 2022
Bangalore, India	SFO	BLR	Daily	May 26, 2022

https://twitter.com/united/status/1446177587722694659?s=20

United plans to fly 91% of its pre-pandemic schedule ahead of holiday season

United Airlines today announced that it will fly its biggest domestic schedule since the start of the pandemic to meet an expected surge in holiday travel, with an emphasis on connecting the Midwest to warm weather cities like Las Vegas and Orlando as well as offering nearly 70 daily flights to ski destinations, including new service between Orange County and Aspen.

According to United, holiday travel flight searches on united.com and the airline’s app are up 16%, compared to 2019. The airline expects the busiest travel days for the Thanksgiving holiday will be Wednesday, November 24 and Sunday, November 28, while popular days for winter holiday travel are expected to be Thursday, December 23 and Sunday, January 2.

The airline plans to offer more than 3,500 daily domestic flights in December, representing 91% of its domestic capacity compared to 2019.

“We’re seeing a lot of pent-up demand in our data and are offering a December schedule that centers on the two things people want most for the holidays: warm sunshine and fresh snow,” said Ankit Gupta, vice president of network planning and scheduling at United. “We know families and friends are eager to reunite this holiday season, which is why we’re thrilled to add new flights that will help them connect and celebrate together.”

🎶 Highway to the takeoff zone. pic.twitter.com/WcoE89pIjy

— United Airlines (@united) October 5, 2021

In December, United will begin new direct flights to Las Vegas and Phoenix from Cleveland, and to Orlando from Indianapolis. The carrier also will resume eight popular direct flights from Midwest cities, including routes to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando and Tampa, offering the most departures the airline has flown from Cleveland since 2014 including direct service to Nassau and Cancun. United will offer up to 195 daily flights to 12 destinations in Florida this winter, the most flights to the Sunshine State in company history. United is also resuming direct flights from Columbus, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh to Fort Myers – which were some of the airline’s most popular point-to-point flights last winter.

Photo: United Airlines. A Boeing 757-200 (N48127) has been painted in the new livery.

Customers who prefer fresh powder can enjoy more flights to ski destinations with United than any other carrier. The airline offers 66 daily flights to over a dozen ski destinations across the U.S., including brand new service beginning this December between Orange County and Aspen. This winter season, United will have flights to Aspen/Snowmass, Mammoth, Bozeman/Big Sky, Eagle/Vail, Kalispell, Gunnison/Crested Butte, Hayden/Steamboat Springs, Jackson Hole, Montrose/Telluride, Reno/Tahoe, Sun Valley from its hub airports.

United Airlines aircraft slide show:

United becomes first airline to introduce PayPal QR codes as inflight payment option

United and PayPal today announced a new way to make touch-free inflight purchases, even in areas without Wi-Fi. Starting next month, United customers on select flights can simply show a flight attendant the PayPal QR Code in the PayPal app and use it to buy snacks, drinks and other inflight purchases while onboard.

United is the first airline to offer PayPal QR Codes, and this partnership is part of United’s easy-to-use, industry-leading suite of contactless payment tools. United was the first airline to give customers in economy cabins the option to pre-order snacks and beverages from the airline’s app and website, and also offers customers the ability to easily store payment information in a digital wallet.

PayPal QR Codes can be used on select flights departing from Chicago O’ Hare International Airport in November and before the end of the year, will extend to all flights across the entire network where contactless payment is available.

How It Works

If you haven’t already, download the PayPal app and set your preferred payment method for QR code payments, prior to leaving the gate
To make an inflight purchase, Click the ‘Pay with QR codes’ button
Then click the ‘In-flight Purchase’ button
Show the QR code to the flight attendant to scan
Look for an emailed confirmation receipt upon landing

United’s New Buy-On-Board Menu

Customers can pay using PayPal QR Codes to enjoy one of many new food and beverage offerings United launched this year. In June, United unveiled its refreshed buy-on-board menu, which includes:

Three New Snack Boxes: A Tapas snack box with European-inspired offerings; a Takeoff snack box with high-protein options; a Recline snack box with movie theater themed treats.
New A la Carte Snack Options: Including sweet potato “tortilla” chips with roasted pepper salsa, trail mix and chocolate-covered dried fruit.
New Adult Beverage Options: Mango White Claw®; red, white and sparkling wine, and new beer options such as Breckenridge Brewery Juice Drop Hazy IPA and Michelob ULTRA®.
New Fresh Options: Last month, United also added five new fresh retail offerings to its buy-on-board menu including:
- Morning Menu:
  - Beatrix Market Chia Seed Pudding: Beatrix Market’s signature Chia Seed Pudding with fresh mango and toasted coconut
  - Bacon, Egg and Cheese Spiral Croissant: Shoulder bacon, fried egg patty with black pepper and cheddar cheese on a butter spiral croissant
- Afternoon/Evening Menu:
  - Beatrix Market Mediterranean Grain Bowl: Protein-packed grain bowl features bulgur, a black lentil and carrot salad, roasted zucchini and bell peppers and is served with a bright lemon vinaigrette
  - Classic Beef Butter Burger with Cheddar: Old fashioned cheeseburger with cheddar and pickles on a buttered brioche bun
  - Kindred Creamery Selection Cheese Tray: Cheddar cheese, gouda cheese, Colby jack cheese, Monterey jack cheese, along with crackers and dried cherry and almond mix

New Domestic Premium Cabin Menu Items

United also introduced brand-new meal offerings to customers seated in domestic premium cabins on flights over 1,500 miles and hub-to-hub flights over 800 miles.

The enhanced meal service includes a choice of entrees – including fresher options like egg scramble with plant-based chorizo and grilled chicken breast with orzo and lemon basil pesto – sides and dessert.
United has also teamed with Eli’s Cheesecake to create a uniquely United chocolate pie flavor called “Pie in the Sky.”
The meals will be served on one tray, with items individually wrapped, to limit person-to-person contact and further the safety of our employees and customers.

BBC: United Airlines CEO: Insisting on vaccines “right thing to do”

From the BBC:

“The boss of United Airlines has told the BBC that firing staff who refuse to get a coronavirus vaccine is “just the right thing to do”.”

Read the full article:

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58767310

Number of unvaccinated United staff drops from 593 to 320 after airline said it would fire them

From CNBC:

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/30/uniteds-unvaccinated-staff-drops-from-593-to-320-after-company-said-they-would-be-fired.html

United Airlines and Airlink announce a new codeshare agreement

United Airlines and Airlink, a South African airline, announced a new codeshare agreement that will offer customers more connections between the U.S. and Southern Africa than any other airline alliance.

The new agreement, which is subject to government approval, will offer one stop connections from the U.S. to more than 40 destinations in Southern Africa. Additionally, United will be the first airline to connect its loyalty program with Airlink, allowing MileagePlus members to earn and redeem miles when they travel on Airlink flights. This new cooperation will be in addition to United’s existing partnership with Star Alliance member South African Airways.

United has continued to expand its footprint into Africa, with direct service to four African destinations. Earlier this month, United announced flights between Washington, D.C. and Lagos Nigeria will begin November 29, subject to government approval.

Earlier this year, United launched new service between New York/Newark and Johannesburg, South Africa and between Washington, D.C. and Accra, Ghana, which is expected to operate daily this December and January. United’s popular service between New York/Newark and Cape Town, South Africa will also resume on December 1.

This new codeshare will be implemented upon final government approvals

United Airlines fined $1.9 million for long ground delays

From Chicago Tribune:

https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-united-fined-ground-delays-20210927-ioa6v7ulure2zez64g6kyk5kta-story.html

United Airlines reports 97% of its US employees are vaccinated

United Airlines (Chicago) has reported that 97% of its U.S.-based employees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. This comes less than a week before the company’s deadline for employees to get the vaccine or be terminated.

The company says this amount does not include a “small number” of employees who are seeking a medical or religious exemption from the vaccination requirement.

United to start Washington Dulles – Lagos flights on November 29

United Airlines announced today that new service between Washington (Dulles) and Lagos, Nigeria will begin on November 29 (subject to government approval).

The airline will operate three weekly flights.

United will operate this route with a Boeing 787 Dreamliner featuring 28 United Polaris^® business class lie-flat seats, 21 United Premium Plus^® premium economy seats, 36 Economy Plus^® seats and 158 standard economy seats. This flight is the only service between the U.S. and Nigeria to offer premium economy product. Flights will depart Washington, D.C. on Monday, Thursday and Saturday and return from Lagos on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.

Top Copyright photo: United Airlines Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner N12010 (msn 40926) LAX (Michael B. Ing). Image: 955099.

United Airlines aircraft slide show:

American and United stand together on 9-11

American Airlines made this announcement on social media:

Together, we stand with United Airlines.

Our pain from this day 20 years ago is shared, but so is our strength. We remember the lives of the colleagues, customers, family and friends we lost. And we honor them every time we take to the skies.

Together, we keep flying.