United expands winter horizons with record-breaking schedule

With winter just around the corner, United is preparing to deploy its most extensive winter schedule ever, offering customers unprecedented opportunities to explore sun-drenched and snow-covered destinations.

After recently announcing eight new destinations in Greenland, Europe and Asia, as well as a record summer season with 48 million passengers, United expects a significant increase in winter travelers.

The airline plans to operate nearly 4,600 flights daily during peak season. United’s winter offering includes expansions in the United States, Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia. These features include new routes to popular destinations and improved services to famous locations.

Top ski and sun destinations

As part of its domestic winter schedule, United is expanding service to nearly 140 airports, focusing on seasonal hotspots. From January through March, travelers can look forward to 13 percent more seats in warm-weather resorts like Phoenix, San Diego and Palm Springs.

Additionally, United is expanding its winter ski offerings to include an extensive range of flights to top U.S. ski resorts, nearly tripling the number of flights of any other U.S. airline.

The airline is deploying additional Embraer E-175 aircraft on popular routes to Aspen, CO and Mammoth, CA, providing more premium seats for travelers.

Aspen Snowmass, Colorado / Photo: Courtesy of Snowmass

Seasonal routes include weekend service from Washington/Dulles to Bozeman, MT, as well as new flights between Newark and Bozeman. In February, United will introduce a weekend flight from Chicago to Gunnison/Crested Butte, CO, and a second daily flight from Newark to Jackson Hole, WY.

In Florida, United is increasing departures from hub airports to destinations such as Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Palm Beach, as well as returning nonstop routes from Cleveland to Cancun and several Florida cities.

The airline’s expanded flight schedule to key domestic winter destinations is as follows:

Africa and exclusive routes to Asia

Overseas, United is making history in its Africa network this winter, establishing itself as the only airline to connect the U.S. directly to Marrakesh, Morocco. A new route from Newark will start on October 24th.

Photo: Marrakech, Morocco. Courtesy of Paul Macallan / Unsplash

This service represents a milestone in United’s global strategy as it now offers the most direct African destinations of any U.S. carrier, including recent expansions to Accra, Ghana and Lagos, Nigeria from Washington Dulles.

Patrick Quayle, senior vice president of global network planning and alliances at United, highlighted the breadth of options United is offering travelers this winter. “This winter we are offering more flights to more destinations to give our customers the widest possible choice of places to explore,” he said.

“Whether you’re looking to adventure in a new location abroad, relax in the sun or explore the country’s best ski resorts, we’re excited to offer you easy access to the top destinations for winter getaways,” said Quayle.

United’s updated African network for this winter is as follows:

The airline also strengthened its position in Asia with the opening of a new route to Cebu in the Philippines, which launched on October 27. United will be the only U.S. airline to offer direct flights to Cebu, offering daily flights on a Boeing 737-800 from its Tokyo/Narita hub.

Photo: Simala Churchin Cebu, Philippines. Courtesy of Hitoshi Namura on Unsplash

This winter, United will add an additional daily service between San Francisco and Seoul-Incheon and between Los Angeles and Hong Kong, and will expand flights between Los Angeles and Shanghai to daily service starting October 26.

Here is United’s updated Asia schedule for this winter:

European adventures extended beyond winter

Things are also heating up in Europe with more destinations and improved service. United has responded to booming demand for European travel by extending popular seasonal routes well into the winter.

Travelers have more options to reach famous European destinations with flights to Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal.

Photo: Piazza di Spagna in Rome, Italy. Courtesy of Vlas Telino Studio/Shutterstock

Notably, flights from Chicago to Rome and Milan and from Washington/Dulles to Madrid will now operate through December, while daily service between Washington/Dulles and Lisbon has been extended through January.

Here is United’s updated European schedule for next winter:

Growth in Latin America and the Caribbean

United’s Latin American network is growing rapidly, with nearly 10 percent more flights this winter than last year.

A new route to Medellin, Colombia, will launch from Houston in November, joining United’s existing flights to Bogota.

Photo: Medellin, Colombia. Courtesy of Joel Duncan / Unsplash

In February, United will launch weekly nonstop flights from Newark to Dominica, becoming the only airline to connect the northeastern United States with the island.

In Mexico, the airline is increasing its flights from San Francisco to Monterrey with twice-daily service and a seasonal route to Belize City.

United also plans to expand Caribbean service starting in early November, including weekly flights from Newark to St. Kitts. The airline will also extend service from Newark to Bermuda into the winter months, making it a year-round route.

Photo: Bermuda. Courtesy of Kino on Unsplash

Additional winter holiday service is planned between Newark and Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago to meet peak travel demand during Carnival.

Overall, the airline’s updated South American and Caribbean network for this winter will look like this:

An ambitious winter network

With the launch of its largest winter schedule to date, the airline is setting a new standard in meeting global travel demand. Notable additions, such as exclusive U.S. service to Marrakesh and Cebu, underscore United’s commitment to connecting American travelers to increasingly diverse destinations.

Likewise, expanded routes in Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe strengthen United’s strategy to adapt to year-round international travel trends and expand options for both leisure and business travelers.