United Airlines have announced an array of new direct flights from Chicago, New York, and San Francisco in a new expansion that seeks to outpace every other airline.
United will add new daily direct flights from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to Barcelona in Spain’s Catalonia region and Shannon in County Clare, Ireland in addition to its frequent Dublin and Madrid flights. This reportedly brings the total number of direct flights to different European cities to 14 which this airline claims the most offerings of any airline.
According to an official United Airlines statement released towards the end of 2022, the airline has added “new service to three cities – Malaga, Spain; Stockholm, Sweden; and Dubai, UAE – as well as six more flights to some of the most popular destinations in Europe, including Rome, Paris, Barcelona, London, Berlin, and Shannon. In total, United will fly to 37 cities in Europe, Africa, India, and the Middle East next summer, more destinations than all other U.S. airlines combined.”
The summer of 2022 saw historic levels of demand for travel to Europe, says the release, up by a huge 20% compared to 2019, and United is consequently developing its network to cater to the increased demand.
“Next summer United is offering the best of both worlds: we’re making it easier for our customers to visit the most popular cities in Europe, but we’re also expanding our reach to give travelers access to new places they haven’t yet experienced,” said Patrick Quayle, senior vice president of global network planning and alliances at United.
Shannon, located along Ireland’s western coast, was chosen as part of its expanded European offerings as it offers travelers easier access to Limerick and Galway, among other destinations.
United now also claims to be the only U.S. carrier offering direct flights to Shannon in addition to four other destinations it already flys to which are not served by any other North American airline; Amman in Jordan, Portugal’s Azores islands, Palma de Mallorca on Spain’s Balearic islands and Tenerife on Spain’s Canary islands.
The other routes United revealed yesterday were flights from New York to Stockholm, Sweden, and Dubai, UAE. Direct flights from San Francisco to Italy’s capital Rome and from Washington, D.C. to Berlin.
Pending government approval the new flights will be operated by Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner jets and will begin on May 25, 2023.
The full United Airlines release can be found here.