United Airlines is at it again. For years, the carrier has turned new international route announcements into a game, hiding clues in increasingly elaborate teaser videos and inviting us to figure out what is coming before the official reveal. This year’s “reality TV” version may be the most ridiculous yet…and I love it.

United Airlines Is Teasing Its 2027 Routes Again. Here Are My Best Guesses

United released its latest teaser this morning, styled as some sort of reality television trailer with clues scattered throughout.

Before that, Patrick Quayle, United’s SVP Global Network Planning and Alliances, released a teaser for the teaser.

I’ve gone through it several times now, paused it frame by frame, and compared what I see with the predictions I made last week after speaking with United CEO Scott Kirby in Denver.

I may be completely wrong, but I’ll update my predictions based on the video.

First, I Think United Is Telling Us There Are Five A321XLR Routes

One of the least subtle clues in the video is a shirt marked:

5XL

United is unveiling its first Airbus A321XLR tomorrow, and “5XL” sure looks like “5 XLR” with one conveniently missing letter.

So I am first going to guess that United is announcing five A321XLR routes, which especially makes sense since United is expecting five XLRs in the second half of 2026 (with far more coming in 2027). The aircraft finally gives United a replacement for the 757 on thinner transatlantic routes while also opening destinations that are too small for a 787.

There’s a media event at Newark Airport tomorrow morning to unveil the A321XLR (sadly, I will not be able to attend), so we will certainly see A321XLR routes announced.

Copenhagen Is Looking Very Strong

Last week, Kirby walked past me after the Denver training center event, then turned around and came back.

“So Matthew, what do you think we are going to announce next week?”

I told him:

“Scandinavia. I think you’ll announce service to Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Oslo.”

A huge smile spread across his face. He walked away, and when I called after him asking whether I was right, he just kept smiling.

Maybe he was trolling me, but now we have this video.

One of the characters is named Dan M.

Dan M.

Danmark, which is Danish for Denmark.

Copenhagen was already my strongest Scandinavian prediction and now I feel considerably better about it.

It also fits the XLR perfectly. SAS is no longer in Star Alliance, which removed the natural United-SAS relationship that once made Copenhagen an easy connecting point. United now has every reason to establish its own presence there…and I also think that “Alliances were formed” line in the teaser maybe a clue, since United and SAS were two founding members of Star Alliance (and like a reality TV show, that relationship eventually dissolved).

Luxembourg?

Here’s another one that I had not seriously considered last week. There is language in the video about a “luxe” reward or break.

Luxe.

LUX.

Luxembourg.

That would be exactly the sort of route United has loved announcing in recent years: a European capital with no nonstop service from the United States, modest overall demand, but enough premium and government/business traffic to potentially support an A321XLR from Newark or Washington Dulles.

EWR-LUX would also be wonderfully obscure, which means Patrick Quayle probably loves it.

I wouldn’t have predicted Luxembourg yesterday, but now I’m putting it on the board.

What About The Bears?

There are several conspicuous props in the video, including an animal holding a United centennial mug and later teddy bears sitting inside a cabinet.

Bears immediately make me think of Berlin. The bear is the symbol of Berlin and BER is, conveniently, the airport code.

United already flies Newark-Berlin, so if this is indeed a Berlin clue, perhaps we are looking at another U.S. gateway.

Could that be Washington-Berlin on an XLR?

United likes putting red herrings in these videos and not every bear needs to be an airport code, but United tried and failed using a 767 on IAD-BER so now we might see the A321XLR.

The bear is also the symbol of Madrid (El Oso y el Madroño). Perhaps the new Denver route is Madrid or United will launch a Houston – Madrid flight? After all, there were two bears in the video.

Or could those two bears suggest Chicago (ORD), home of the NFL Bears, to Madrid?

Valencia + Marseilles

Notice in one part of the video there are oranges and a French press coffee, along with lavender. So I will guess:

• Newark – Valenca (VLC)
• Newark – Marseilles (MRS)

Another possible contender is Ajaccio, Corsica (AJA), which is known for its wild lavender. This would be a cool route and another Quayle special…

(There’s also a clock next to the lavender and oranges…Genvea?)

Ibiza?

That DJ character? Well what about the party island of Spain, Ibiza? Flying Newark to Ibiza would be another cool A321XLR route and DJ, aka Dan M, could be both Denmark and Ibiza.

Max – Miles?

So we have this clue and I’m not sure what to make of it:

On the notepad it says MAX 2 4 15 13 and MILES 9 0 8 26…I am hoping this is a red herring because I’ve not been able to figure out if these are coordinates or other kinds of clues.

737 MAX 10?

Speaking of Max, look this card deck:

Could it be 7 +3 + (4 +3) means 7 and the Jack is the 10th card (after 9), meaning 737 MAX 10? The FAA has now certified the 737 MAX 7 and is reportedly very close to certifying the MAX 10, United has ordered it and deliveries begin in 2027.

So could the “maybe just one more thing” (Apple style) comment be a new aircraft with lie-flats that will also fly transatlantic to complement the A321? The “jack” of the trade?

If so, that would make many more routes possible in Europe…

Denver – Amstedam?

I still think Denver – Paris makes more sense, but the stroopewafel in the video suggests maybe Denver – Amsterdam instead?

Could There Be More Scandinavia?

I am not abandoning Stockholm or Oslo…both are exactly the type of market where the XLR changes the calculation. Newark-Stockholm or Newark-Oslo would challenge SAS without having to fill a widebody aircraft…

If my interpretation of “5XL” is right and there really are five XLR routes coming, United has plenty of room to get creative.

So my Scandinavian ranking is:

1. Copenhagen — I’m feeling very good about this one
2. Stockholm — still quite plausible
3. Oslo — possible, but third on my list

And yes, I am still thinking about that Kirby smile…

United tried Bergen, Norway, a much smaller market (the route failed on a 757-200) but that failed…I don’t expect that would work on an A321XLR, but maybe on a 737 MAX 8?

New Azores Routes?

Look at this blotch on the coffee table:

Doesn’t it look like the Azores or am I dreaming? Maybe a new Azores route like Angra do Heroísmo on Terceira Island, which would be TER airport?

Phonetic Alphabet Clues?

The phonetic alphabet includes “India” for I and “Lima” for L. Might we use new service to Lima (LIM) and even that RTW connection to India I suggested? Can you imagine if the RTW service was operated by an A321XLR instead of a widebody?!

Oh, and if Lima is added, wouldn’t it be cool if it was from Los Angeles?

Lock + Handkerchief

I don’t know what to make of the padlock and the handkerchief…

Any thoughts?

Also, look at this:

The lock is over Chicago, the plane is over Lima, and the finger seems to be pointing to Newfoundland…maybe a seasonal service to St. John’s (YYT)? The magnifying glass is west of the British Isles…maybe a seasonal service on the 737 MAX 8 to the Faroe Islands (one of my favorite places in the word)?

I’m Less Sure About Asia Now

Last week, I also predicted more Hong Kong fifth-freedom flying, potentially to Bali, Kuala Lumpur, or Jakarta, and suggested that LAX-Manila or even another attempt at LAX-Singapore would not surprise me.

I still think those routes make strategic sense.

But this particular teaser feels very XLR- and Europe-heavy to me.

That doesn’t mean Asia is absent from tomorrow’s announcement, especially since United has become very aggressive about expanding its Pacific network. But based purely on the clues I’ve seen so far, any Asia expansion may be in a later announcement…

However, I picked up tees lines?

“Can you even name all of United’s hubs?”

“Stop trying to distract me.”

Maybe hinting at non-hub flying? JFK, of course, where we will see the A321neo Coastliner fly transcontinental flights, but maybe Fifth Freedom routes from Tokyo (NRT) or Hong Kong (HKG)…or from Europe to India?

My Picks Before Tomorrow

Okay, here’s my final entry.

If I have to commit before the reveal, I’m going with with the following five A321XLR routes:

1. EWR-CPH
2. EWR-LUX
3. EWR-MRS
4. EWR-VLC
5. IAD-BER

Now I still think the A321XLR is perfect for markets like Prague, Budapest, or Zagreb, but maybe we will see Prague on a 3x-weekly 767 instead for the summer season?

I’m still better on a 787-9 route to Europe from Denver and am 50-50 whether Amsterdam or Paris, but I’ll just say Amsterdam.

I do expect one very obscure destination and I think Terceira (TER) on a Boeing 737 MAX 8 might be the one, though it would be very cool if United also added a dot at Ajaccio (AJA).

CONCLUSION

United’s route-announcement games are wonderfully nerdy and an annual ritual I always look forward to.

Whatever guesses ended up being correct, I think it’s very safe to say tomorrow’s announcement will give us our first serious look at how United plans to use the aircraft beyond replacing the 757…and maybe not just the A321XLR but the 737 MAX 10 too?

Now help me out here…what have I missed?

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