After weeks of gearing up flight fans for a "big announcement" and "major network expansion," United Airlines (UAL) outlined 2025 routes that did not disappoint, offering a variety and large number of new destinations rarely served directly by U.S. airlines.
In total the Chicago carrier will launch flights to eight cities it has never flown to before — Greenland's Nuuk, Spain's Bilbao and Mongolia's Ulaanbaatar, among others.
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The latter, through Tokyo's Narita International Airport (NRT), is a fifth-freedom flight that passengers on other United flights to Japan can connect through to. This flight will launch on May 1 and run three times a week; a similar United flight to Taiwan's Kaohsiung will launch on July 11. (Fifth-freedom flights stop in a city, and some passengers get off while others stay on to a final destination.)
United's new routes: Mongolia, Senegal and Palermo. Oh, my!
"Nearly half a million people visited Mongolia so far in 2024, up 25% compared to 2023, as the country continues to trend as one of the top places to visit in Asia." That's how United explains Ulaanbaatar as a new destination.
"Most of that increase has come from Europe, South Korea and Japan – and United's new service from Tokyo/Narita flights will give Americans a new, easy way to visit."
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Direct routes from the U.S. are focused heavily on the airline's hub at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) — the announced new flights will go to Greenland's Nuuk, Italy's Palermo and Spain's Bilbao as well as both Faro and Madeira Island in Portugal. (The latter is frequently called "the Hawaii of Europe" and has been seeing growing numbers of American tourists.)
New United flights launched from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) include a year-round route to Senegal's Dakar and seasonal flights to Nice in France and Venice in Italy. The three flights will launch on May 23, 24 and 22, respectively.
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'Many unique international destinations and experiences from the U.S.'
"No other airline gives customers nonstop access to as many unique international destinations and experiences from the U.S. as United," Patrick Quayle, United's senior vice president of global network planning and alliances, said in a statement.
"Our network provides the most choice and variety for our customers, whether they are looking for a relaxing seaside getaway, once-in-a-lifetime adventure travel or to explore some of the most vibrant urban escapes across the globe."
For the Palermo flight, United will use a Boeing 767-400 (BA) while another new route between San Francisco and Costa Rica's San Jose will run on a Boeing 737 Max 8.
The choice of aircraft for other flights has not yet been announced; the goal is always to maximize the number of passengers who will pay for lie-flat seats on routes where demand warrants it.
On top of the new destinations, United also said it was bringing back seasonal flights to Athens and Barcelona from Chicago and San Francisco, respectively.
And starting May 1 it will increase flights from Newark to Dubrovnik, Croatia, to daily from three times a week.
