After years of aggressive transatlantic growth, United Airlines is adding only one new destination and a small handful of new routes next summer to Europe. Even so, United plans for its biggest transatlantic summer season ever in 2024.
United Airlines Summer 2024 Transatlantic Growth
Next summer United will operate the largest transatlantic schedule in its history. Even so, we can expect only one new destination: Faro, Portugal, and four new routes to existing destinations.
New United Airlines Service From Newark – Faro, Portugal
United Airlines will connect Newark with Faro in Portugal’s Algarve region.
The service begins on May 24, 2024 and the flight will operate four times a week on a Boeing 757-200. United also serves Lisbon year-around from Newark offers seasonal service between Washington – Lisbon, Newark-Porto, and Newark – Ponta Delgada, Azores.
Other New Or Resuming 2024 Transatlantic Routes For United
While United will not add any additional new destinations beyond Faro, it will add four new flights which represent a route resumption or increased frequency, including:
- Newark (EWR) ⇄ Brussels (BRU)
- Second daily service operated by 757-200 beginning March 30, 2024
- Newark (EWR) ⇄ Malaga (AGP)
- Will go daily starting on May 2, 2024 using 757-200
- Newark (EWR) ⇄ Reykjavik (KEF)
- Daily service operated by 757-200 beginning May 23, 2024
- Marks a route resumption: route last operated in 2022
- Newark (EWR) ⇄ Rome (FCO)
- Second daily service operated by 767-300 beginning March 30, 2024
- Washington (IAD) ⇄ Rome (FCO)
- Second daily service operated by 767-300 beginning March 30, 2024
Nothing too exciting here, but going double daily to Rome from both Newark and Washington demonstrates what a powerhouse the Italian market is.
“Summer” Season Will Begin As Early As February For United
Perhaps most noteworthy is that United is summer will start in winter for Untied, with the “summer schedule” to Europe beginning as early as February 15, 2024 in some markets.
- Washington Dulles ⇄ Lisbon, Portugal – starting February 15
- Washington Dulles ⇄ Barcelona, Spain – starting February 15
- Washington Dulles ⇄ Rome, Italy – starting February 15
- New York/Newark ⇄ Nice, France – starting March 30
- Chicago/O’Hare ⇄ Rome, Italy – starting March 30
- Chicago O’Hare ⇄ Milan, Italy – starting March 30
- New York/Newark ⇄ Naples, Italy – starting April 5
- New York/Newark ⇄ Malaga – starting May 2
- San Francisco ⇄ Rome, Italy – starting May 2
United shares that it flew 33% more customers across the Atlantic than in 2022 and anticipates the demand will only continue to grow in spring 2024.
CONCLUSION
Next summer United will fly nonstop to 38 transatlantic cities. Although there will be only one new dot on the route map, it will represent United’s biggest summer to Europe in company history, with the summer season starting as early as February 5, 2024 in some markets.
image: United Airlines
EWR-FCO has been double daily in Spring/Summer since 2022. In 2022, it operated with a 777-300ER (UA 40/41) and a 777-200ER (UA 510/509). In 2023, it was 1 x 787-10 (UA 40/41) and 1 x 777-200ER (UA 510/509).
Disappointed Prague hasn’t returned.
Think BUD would be a slam dunk.
PRG and BUD thrived on the back of the riverboat cruise market, which hasn’t recovered post-pandemic partly due to low water levels along the Danube. Agree though, PRG should be a no brainer. Limited competition and healthy demand. BUD, not as much as pre-pandemic. UA flew EWR-PRG but not BUD. AA flew both from PHL. DL had BUD service at JFK seasonally, at one point a decade or more ago.
Do we know which routes UA is cutting?
IAD-BER
You lead this piece by saying that United is adding service to only one new destination- Faro, Portugal.
Then, in the immediate next section, you lead with “While United will not add any new destinations…”
United is adding a new destination. It’s Faro. That’s new.
One missing word. Thanks for pointing it out. But I think (hope?) you still understood my point, especially in that subsection.
It is interesting to see that demand East is basically non-existent. UA’s route map to Europe is awesome, but the fact that no US carrier flies to WAW, KRK, BUD, or PRG (let alone MOW or OTP) is surprising. Alas, Portugal is the ‘value’ destination du jour I suppose.
With the cancellation of TLV flights, it seems that UA should have quite a lot of unused 777 lift. Where are these planes going?