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 Vegasย andย Orlandoย as well as offering nearly 70 daily flights to ski destinations, including new service betweenย Orange Countyย andย Aspen.
According to United,ย 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 beย Wednesday, November 24ย andย Sunday, November 28, while popular days for winter holiday travel are expected to beย Thursday, December 23ย 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,” saidย 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.”
In December, United will begin new direct flights toย Las Vegasย andย Phoenixย fromย Cleveland, and toย Orlandoย fromย Indianapolis. The carrier also will resume eight popular direct flights from Midwest cities, including routes toย Fort Lauderdale,ย Fort Myers,ย Orlandoย andย Tampa, offering the most departures the airline has flown fromย Clevelandย since 2014 including direct service toย Nassauย andย Cancun. United will offer up to 195 daily flights to 12 destinations inย Floridaย this winter, the most flights to the Sunshine State in company history. United is also resuming direct flights fromย Columbus,ย Indianapolis,ย Milwaukeeย andย Pittsburghย toย Fort Myersย โ 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 betweenย Orange Countyย andย Aspen. This winter season, United will have flights toย Aspen/Snowmass, Mammoth, Bozeman/Big Sky,ย Eagle/Vail, Kalispell,ย Gunnison/Crested Butte,ย Hayden/Steamboat Springs, Jackson Hole,ย Montrose/Telluride,ย Reno/Tahoe,ย Sun Valleyย from its hubย airports.
United Airlines aircraft slide show:
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