United Airlines Announcing New International Routes

United Airlines Announcing New International Routes

78

A couple of weeks ago we saw American Airlines make a big international route announcement, and it’s expected that they’ll make another route announcement soon.

They’re not the only airline with a big announcement coming, though. On social media United has hinted at announcing new international routes tomorrow at 10AM CT.

United posted a video to go along with it showing San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, and New York, though I’m not sure if that’s just stock footage reflecting their hubs, or if it suggests that we’ll actually see new routes out of all of those cities.

I’m really excited about this announcement. Of the “big three” US carriers, United is by far the most creative when it comes to adding long haul routes. It has been really fun to see the way they’ve grown.

While American shies away from ultra long haul flying, and while Delta is extremely conservative with anything not involving Europe, United really tries all kinds of new things.

They’ve launched some ultra long haul flights, like San Francisco to Singapore and Houston to Sydney, and they’ve also launched some really creative seasonal routes, like Newark to Cape Town. Late last year they announced a big international expansion out of San Francisco, as they’re launching San Francisco to Delhi, San Francisco to Melbourne, and more.

It’s anyone’s guess how exciting this announcement will be. Could we see one (or many) new route that will catch us off guard, or is this most likely just an announcement of some new summer seasonal flying between the US and Europe?

If I had to guess:

  • I think some additional summer seasonal flying to Europe is a given, especially to Eastern Europe
  • Could we see year-round expansion to Europe out of Denver and San Francisco, since they’ve been growing those markets slowly but steadily?
  • Could we see a new route to Asia out of San Francisco, given how United has been building up a greater transpacific hub there?
  • With United’s strength in Tel Aviv, and with American having announced a new route from Dallas to Tel Aviv, could we see United launch a Houston to Tel Aviv flight?

What new international routes do you think United will launch?

Conversations (78)
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  1. Carlos sanchez Guest

    flights direct to Sevilla from Philadelphia Pa or Newark Nj

  2. BillC Gold

    @Dave -- "I can’t find any United flights to BKK. When did this happen?"

    It doesn't look like any USA airlines have direct operations out of BKK ... AA/DL/HA/UA all use alliance/partner airlines to reach that market. BKK once again failed its ICAO Category 1 rating qualifications this past February ... don't know if that has any bearings on USA airlines missing from there?

    www[.]onemileatatime[.]com/thailand-fails-faa-safety-audit/ <== (remove [ ] surrounding "." in URL)

    @Dave -- "I can’t find any United flights to BKK. When did this happen?"

    It doesn't look like any USA airlines have direct operations out of BKK ... AA/DL/HA/UA all use alliance/partner airlines to reach that market. BKK once again failed its ICAO Category 1 rating qualifications this past February ... don't know if that has any bearings on USA airlines missing from there?

    www[.]onemileatatime[.]com/thailand-fails-faa-safety-audit/ <== (remove [ ] surrounding "." in URL)

  3. Dave Guest

    I can't find any United flights to BKK. When did this happen?

  4. Eskimo Guest

    @brad

    Fake news. Don't trust everything you read on the internet, especially from bloggers.

    A category 2 means that country's FAA equivalent does not meet standards and therefore, operators from those country does not meet standards.
    In short, UA can launch SFO-BKK but TG cannot launch BKK-SFO.

    Now what most bloggers don't know but airlines do know, is you CANNOT codeshare with airlines from category 2 country. This is probably the reason UA will...

    @brad

    Fake news. Don't trust everything you read on the internet, especially from bloggers.

    A category 2 means that country's FAA equivalent does not meet standards and therefore, operators from those country does not meet standards.
    In short, UA can launch SFO-BKK but TG cannot launch BKK-SFO.

    Now what most bloggers don't know but airlines do know, is you CANNOT codeshare with airlines from category 2 country. This is probably the reason UA will not fly to BKK as they cannot market anything beyond BKK. Basically UA cannot get TG to feed passengers, not even from within Thailand.

  5. Harmendar Singh Guest

    Will united ever fly or stop over to fiji.

  6. brad Guest

    Older article, but here's why Bangkok, BKK cannot (currently) be flown direct to/from any US markets until safety re-certification by the FAA. https://leaveyourdailyhell.com/2016/12/19/nonstop-flights-us-thailand/

  7. Csaba Meszaros Guest

    Newark to Budapest?

  8. DCS Diamond

    @UA-NYC as clueless as ever, sez: "
    - DCS you are out of your element here.
    - Still to Baghdad Bob pronouncements about Hilton.
    - UA has put SFO and EWR up top for general expansion.
    - Everything else is second tier as hubs. IAH isn’t the same for them now.
    - Show me all the Asia/Europe/Africa expansion out of there…whoops."

    It seems like it is time for an another...

    @UA-NYC as clueless as ever, sez: "
    - DCS you are out of your element here.
    - Still to Baghdad Bob pronouncements about Hilton.
    - UA has put SFO and EWR up top for general expansion.
    - Everything else is second tier as hubs. IAH isn’t the same for them now.
    - Show me all the Asia/Europe/Africa expansion out of there…whoops."

    It seems like it is time for an another blog entry at 'TravelRealityCheck' to educate the uneducable. I will present incontrovertible evidence that the claim about IAH being a "second tier hub" is **factually ignorant.** Come back here for a link or I will post it elsewhere, even if it would be off-topic because the info I will provide will be of general interest as it will demonstrate, **graphically**, what UA's 'philosophy' is to try to make the most each of its hubs.

    It will also conclusively prove who is the real "Baghdad Bob"...

    Stay tuned!

  9. Don B Guest

    CLE – TLV per Dan's Deals

  10. ADL59 Guest

    Houston to Tel Aviv to take on AA Dallas to Tel Aviv

  11. Dan Guest

    BKK, whilst it does have the demand, is mostly price sensitive low-yield VFR (Visiting Family Relatives) with a large backpacker/tourist market. BKK and Thailand in general has very low business demand to make a LAX/SFO-BKK ULR non-stop flight viable.

    If there was a customised economy heavy LCC plane that can fly USA-BKK non-stop to suit the low yielding tourist/VFR nature of the Thailand market, UA via a "specialised international Long Haul Low Cost subsidiary" would've...

    BKK, whilst it does have the demand, is mostly price sensitive low-yield VFR (Visiting Family Relatives) with a large backpacker/tourist market. BKK and Thailand in general has very low business demand to make a LAX/SFO-BKK ULR non-stop flight viable.

    If there was a customised economy heavy LCC plane that can fly USA-BKK non-stop to suit the low yielding tourist/VFR nature of the Thailand market, UA via a "specialised international Long Haul Low Cost subsidiary" would've returned to the Thailand route by now.

    As for BNE, it is already saturated with QF/AA and VA/DL. UA also doesn't have an Australian partner, apart from a third party interline agreement with QF. Which would make it difficult on the BNE end (rely mostly on O&D). Most of the business demand ex-BNE would've been absorbed by QF/AA and VA/DL.

  12. Tiffany Jones Guest

    I sure wish something would be truly international out of Nashville. So frustrating to always have to connect to other east coast cities to get to Europe!

  13. David Guest

    How about United refrain from letting passengers being beaten the living crap out of.

  14. Rupert Crowson Guest

    Should be a route from JFK to LON STN if they had any sense

  15. Osaka Stadium Guest

    I would say that is ORD-KIX.

  16. UA-NYC Diamond

    DCS you are out of your element here. Still to Baghdad Bob pronouncements about Hilton.

    UA has put SFO and EWR up top for general expansion. Everything else is second tier as hubs.

    IAH isn’t the same for them now. Show me all the Asia/Europe/Africa expansion out of there...whoops.

  17. Marc Member

    LAX does NOT need to have feeder service. Us Southern Californians travel everywhere and people come to LA to start their US trips thus LAX is the largest O/D airport in the world. LAX will get more United love when the United project is completed.

  18. James Wallace Guest

    I did the San Francisco to Singapore and Sydney to Houston flights. They turned on the fasten seatbelt sign at least 15 times. United is not a good airline to fly if you want to sleep. Also the 777 aircraft with ten across in economy is too tight. United, get some Airbus A350's.

  19. Sasa Guest

    It will be EWR-ZAG, all year round..

  20. Erik Guest

    The last "historic" new route announcement was pretty much a bust, so I guess we'll see if Oscar can do better this time.

  21. WestCoastGuy Guest

    Wouldn't mind seeing SFO-BLR, or an even longer shot, SFO-MAA! Not sure if they have the aircraft for it though.

  22. Mark Guest

    With AA also reportedly getting ready to announce their second round of new routes, what are the chances UA and AA announce on the same day? Would they coordinate to separate their announcement dates? Seems like they wouldn’t want to take the wind out of each other’s sails.

  23. archer528 Member

    @Ryan

    I don't understand why connectivity is important when Bangkok and LA are both huge cities with massive populations. I'm sure O&D could account for most of the plane, and regardless, there is still connectivity in LA on United (and from BKK on Thai).

  24. Stevest New Member

    @AlanD absolutely agreed. I know it’s a long shot but i want nothing more than another DEN>Asia route. ICN is a maybe but i think of the Asia hubs UA has a presence at and the best would be HKG i think. Not sure if they can fit a demand for that route or the right plane but given their HKG presence it might work? Otherwise yes ICN is second closest then PEK or even...

    @AlanD absolutely agreed. I know it’s a long shot but i want nothing more than another DEN>Asia route. ICN is a maybe but i think of the Asia hubs UA has a presence at and the best would be HKG i think. Not sure if they can fit a demand for that route or the right plane but given their HKG presence it might work? Otherwise yes ICN is second closest then PEK or even PVG. While im loving DEN>FRA for my flight in October Im hoping DEN isnt just one more European route.

  25. DCS Diamond

    UA-NYC sez: "News flash – IAH just isn’t as important to UA anymore. This isn’t Continental where it was AirEWR/IAH. It is fully second tier now among the hubs."

    That is a **factually** ignorant statement.

  26. Asian Miler (asianmiler.com) Guest

    New routes to South America would be interesting... They could capitalize the slack of uncertainty in the Star Alliance aviation market there...

  27. LVC Guest

    Would rather they initiate a flight from Denver to Juneau AK before adding more international routes.

  28. Neetu Guest

    Predictions:
    SFO-BKK/SGN/CAN/MNL
    EWR-CAI/IST/BUD/KRK
    ORD-TLV/DEL
    DEN-MEX/AMS/MUC

  29. Gomgigeeegt Guest

    Crossing my fingers for some DEN-Asia expansion.

  30. Stuart Guest

    I tried to watch the video for hints and clues but it gave me a seizure instead.

  31. Ryan Guest

    Chris: As I stated earlier, BKK is impossible due to US regulations blocking Thailand. If it ever does happen, I ma certain it would be SFO and not LAX. One word: Connectivity.

  32. Stuart Diamond

    I am thinking Denver is going to be the big winner. To where I have no idea.

    @Rafael You MUST live near Campinas because, my god, no one wants to drive there, lol!

  33. Sarthak New Member

    Hope more than expectation: ORD-BOM on 77W/77L

  34. Alex New Member

    The return of EWR to HAM!

  35. glenn t Diamond

    Amidst all the speculation about new routes etc there is no speculation that UA will begin to provide a good customer service on the ground or in the air.
    Now that would be exciting (if farfetched)!

  36. Andy Diamond

    Perhaps DEN-ZRH

    Currently served by Edelwiess but they suffer from capacity issues and therefore cannot expand beyond 2 weekly. So if they (UA, WK and LX) join up, something like 5 weekly should be sustainable year around.

  37. Joe Guest

    On the domestic UAX front, increased frequency to Santa Rosa, Ca.

  38. AlanD Guest

    They promised to extend the DEN-LHR service to year-round when it returned for year two this year, but backed out of that. Given that Norwegian just switched the LGW to seasonal from DEN, I don’t think the winter demand is there with BA already flying a daily 747.

    Norwegian hasn’t confirmed CDG returning for next summer, so I suspect UA might add seasonal service from DEN-CDG. I’d love to see seasonal DEN-DUB since the...

    They promised to extend the DEN-LHR service to year-round when it returned for year two this year, but backed out of that. Given that Norwegian just switched the LGW to seasonal from DEN, I don’t think the winter demand is there with BA already flying a daily 747.

    Norwegian hasn’t confirmed CDG returning for next summer, so I suspect UA might add seasonal service from DEN-CDG. I’d love to see seasonal DEN-DUB since the EI plans have never come to fruition.

    Maybe given the success of DEN-NRT we could finally see DEN-PEK or DEN-ICN?

    We desperately need more long haul international here.

  39. AndrewM Guest

    IAD - DXB
    This is way past due.

  40. Chris Guest

    I have on strong authority that UA plans announce LAX-BKK nonstop.

  41. Jim Guest

    How about IAD-PVG or IAD-ICN?

    I think IAD-WAW would work well too.

  42. Sharon Guest

    Would love to see EWR TO Marrakech. There have been talks of Seville.

    Budapest??

    Expecting a new route from SFO, maybe FCO seasonal?

  43. dfw88 New Member

    @Too Much Flying

    Um. Typo? UA is most definitely not flying from DVD Airport (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andavadoaka_Airport) in Madagascar to GOH. Perhaps you meant IAD or, more likely, EWR?

    While a long shot, either one of those would be a really cool route.

  44. Anon Guest

    Would love to see some new routes out of IAD. United doesn't give it too much international love.

  45. Clay Guest

    GRU - SFO, it would be great another option of nonstop to the west coast

  46. Rafael Guest

    Houston-Campinas (VCP)

  47. BillC Gold

    @UA-NYC -- "It is fully second tier now among the hubs."

    Nevertheless, it does have one of United's only five currently existing domestic Polaris (VIP) Lounges!

  48. henry LAX Guest

    @Tom : it's not that UA is purposely ignoring IAH, and you do realize even if they got all the TPAC love before IAD and DEN did, that would be UA's *FIFTH* TPAC gateway, but since IAD exists, IAH is SIXTH place at best.

  49. Eskimo Guest

    IAH-DME
    IAH-HKG
    SFO-CAN
    ORD-BOM

  50. UA-NYC Diamond

    News flash - IAH just isn’t as important to UA anymore. This isn’t Continental where it was AirEWR/IAH. It is fully second tier now among the hubs.

  51. Tom Guest

    @Econometrics Those were already announced. https://onemileatatime.com/dot-haneda-slots/

  52. Tom Guest

    UA really needs more nonstop to east Asia from IAH. Air China, EVA, ANA have really good load factors out of Houston and this includes UAs IAH-NRT route as well. My ideal route would be IAH-HKG. Houston is a huge international city with so many Asian cultures so I think it's a natural fit.

  53. Mark G. Member

    Delta flight attendant told me yesterday that they are stopping LAX to AMS. I'm shocked. Is this true?

  54. Econometrics New Member

    Did United ever announce the route awards they got for the HND slots?

    If not, this could very well be that. ...which would be incredibly overhyped.

  55. Izz Member

    Newark to Seville, Spain has been rumored for a long time. I would not be surprised to see this announced tomorrow, they would be the first US flag carrier to Seville.

  56. Ryan Guest

    I believe UA would launch BKK when they can. The US has still banned Thailand from direct flights to the US. Ludicrous.

  57. Too Much Flying Guest

    My friend in the Operations Center at Willis Tower confirmed a new DVD-GOH route. Seems like it might be temporary, but who knows?

  58. Ed Diamond

    SFO-BNE seems like a good bet. There seems to be an almost bottomless well of demand between the Bay Area and Australia right now.

  59. RF Diamond

    It would be great to have another route to Asia.

  60. 23H Guest

    I think IAH-TLV is unlikely, at least until they are able to grow frequency on IAD-TLV. ORD-TLV is possible, but only because El Al has announced the same...

  61. DCJoe Guest

    @Evan- they just don't have the feed to support anything else from LAX. Almost all the natural feed goes to SFO.

  62. Donna Diamond

    It would be useful to know when their Polaris retrofits will be completed.

  63. Evan Guest

    I've never understood UA's only LAX non-stop to Europe being limited to LHR. Show Los Angeles some love, United!

  64. Wingslover Guest

    Secretly hoping for SFO-BRU or IAH-BRU but I guess it won’t happen.

  65. Alec Guest

    1) Fingers crossed for SFO-AMS to be made year round
    2) Resumption of service to Istanbul - to the new IST
    3) Resumption of service to Dubai
    4) Fingers crossed WestCoast to MXP or FCO - which would be in competition with Air Italy

  66. Julian Guest

    Some Guesses:
    - ORD - TLV
    - IAD - TXL (more aspirational than an actual guess)
    - SFO - BKK (would have a lot of connectivity with Thai Airways)
    - SFO - MNL (this one has no basis, but United already flies their from Guam, and I could see them wanting to compete with PAL on nonstop flights from the US mainland to Manila)
    - EWR/IAH - GYE (United hinted at it in the Twitter comments section)
    - SFO - FCO
    - SFO - NAN
    - EWR - DXB

  67. SPbrazil Guest

    my bet is they're launching SFO-GRU!

    US West Coast to GRU in under served in my opinion with only AA's LAX-GRU and Latam's LAS-GRU.

  68. SEM Member

    Fingers crossed for the IAD-Middle East routes making a return...

  69. Ricky Member

    I saw someone post on Twitter saying DC to Greenland

  70. Nathan Guest

    I could definitely see them trying to jump into the BNE market to compete with joint venture expansions DL / VA and AA/QF.

    Otherwise, seems like everyone's holding out for SFO-BKK which seems like a stretch!

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Carlos sanchez Guest

flights direct to Sevilla from Philadelphia Pa or Newark Nj

0
BillC Gold

@Dave -- "I can’t find any United flights to BKK. When did this happen?" It doesn't look like any USA airlines have direct operations out of BKK ... AA/DL/HA/UA all use alliance/partner airlines to reach that market. BKK once again failed its ICAO Category 1 rating qualifications this past February ... don't know if that has any bearings on USA airlines missing from there? www[.]onemileatatime[.]com/thailand-fails-faa-safety-audit/ <== (remove [ ] surrounding "." in URL)

0
Dave Guest

I can't find any United flights to BKK. When did this happen?

0
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