In another sign that demand is surging for U.S. domestic travel, United Airlines plans to operate 91% of its December 2019 schedule in December 2021, which would make it the busiest month since the pandemic began.
United Airlines Sees Surge In Demand, Plans December 2021 Schedule With 3,500 Domestic Flights Per Day
United says searches for travel are up 16% on its website or app compared to 2019 levels. With future bookings healthy and showing signs of further growth, United will offer an ambitious flight schedule in December.
While demand is approaching 2019 levels, it is a different kind of demand in 2021. Business travel remains depressed and United will focus on leisure destinations, including:
- Connecting the Midwest to warm weather cities
- Offering nearly 70 daily flights to ski destinations
- Resuming point-to-point routes between non-hub cities in Florida and the Midwest
In total, United will offer 3,500 daily domestic flights in December, the most since March 2020 before the world shut down.
> Read More: United Airlines Adds Point-To-Point Service From Several Midwest Cities
Ankit Gupta, United’s Vice President of Network Planning and Scheduling, said:
“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. 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.”
Most routes are prior routes that are resuming, but United has announced a handful of new routes including new service between Orange County (SNA) and Aspen (ASE).
Meanwhile, international travel remains depressed, though there is hope that stronger transatlantic demand will return once Europen citizens are once again able to directly enter the Untied States from Europe, starting on November 8th.
> Read More: U.S. Relaxes European, UK Travel Restrictions
CONCLUSION
Healthy demand has returned to U.S. domestic travel, but it still does not look like 2019. United is responding to the increased demand by offering its most robust domestic schedule in December since the pandemic began.
Do note something to keep in mind for 2022: if business travel suddenly returns, we will see U.S. flights more crowded than we ever have, which will likely mean higher fares and certainly mean full planes and harder upgrades. Enjoy this reprieve, while it lasts.
@ Matthew — I completely disagree with you assertion that “if business travel suddenly returns, we will see U.S. flights more crowded than we ever have, which will likely mean higher fares”. No, what it will mean is that business travelers will push fares higher and many of the leisure travelers that have been flying around won’t be able to afford to fly as much anymore, especially now that all of their Trump socialist handouts have ended. Realistically, I don’t think it is possible for flights to be any fuller than they were pre-COVID.
That’s a fair point – stimulus checks allowed many to travel and it may be that such travel tapers off once fares go higher. However, the dynamic pricing models airlines currently employee are precisely designed to sell out flights. I booked a LA – Chicago ticket one week in advance on AA for $49 and it wasn’t even basic economy. That same flight was $599 the day before…and it went out full. Airlines have really become better at managing inventory with specific (high) load factors in mind.
Good to see people getting out and traveling. We already had it here in Florida in early 2021 when March hotel occupancy rates and revenue BEAT 2019 levels. I believe we will see the same thing in December.
As for the business travel, I don’t believe it will ever be at the same levels. Too many companies realized they can cut some of it out permanently. It may be a small portion but it’s enough to effect the numbers.
Add in higher fuel prices and it’s hard to see Airline stocks getting back to pre March 2020 levels anytime soon.
Meanwhile frequent leisure flyers like myself keep scoring free upgrades on almost every flight including 4/4 this week. I’ll take it.
So pardon my ignorance, but why—during the pandemic—is first class almost always full? It’s been very difficult to get upgrades. Even PlusPoints have been pretty much worthless, especially to/from hubs. You would have thought that with lower passenger loads during COVID, upgrades would have been easier. But it’s been just the opposite. Why?
I think first class domestic travel has come down dramatically in price, to the point that many are happy to simply pay for it and avoid the upgrade roulette.
I must have missed the news regarding a firm date for the return of non-essential travel to the US from Europe. I hope you are correct that it is November 8th which will allow for firm travel plans to finally be made.
Different story on some international flights. United took an ax to my itinerary to go to London from the west coast and back again to MT. Ended up starting over, flying on points, 3 flights each way, mostly on Lufthansa. It turns out United has been canceling a lot of international flights across the Atlantic.