United Airlines has announced that it will launch flights on three new Short-Haul International Routes to Latin America and the Caribbean this winter.
Three new routes
Starting 18th December 2021, United Airlines will operate flights on the following three routes:
- Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Ohio to Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau, Bahamas
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Illinois to La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City, Guatemala
- Denver International Airport, Colorado to Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport in Roatan, Honduras
The flight schedule of Cleveland-Nassau-Cleveland route is:
- Cleveland-Nassau
- Departure time: 09:05
- Arrival time: 12:10
- Flight time: 3 hours and 05 minutes
- Flight number: UA6338
- Frequency: Only Saturdays
- Nassau-Cleveland
- Departure time: 13:05
- Arrival time: 16:15
- Flight time: 3 hours and 05 minutes
- Flight number: UA6339
- Frequency: Only Saturdays
The flight schedule of Chicago-Guatemala City-Chicago route is:
- Chicago-Guatemala City
- Departure time: 09:00
- Arrival time: 13:10
- Flight time: 4 hours and 30 minutes
- Flight number: UA2006
- Frequency: Only Saturdays
- Guatemala City-Chicago
- Departure time: 13:40
- Arrival time: 18:12
- Flight time: 4 hours and 32 minutes
- Flight number: UA2007
- Frequency: Only Saturdays
The flight schedule of Denver-Roatan-Denver route is:
- Denver-Roatan
- Departure time: 10:00
- Arrival time: 15:20
- Flight time: 4 hours and 20 minutes
- Flight number: UA2352
- Frequency: Only Saturdays
- Roatan-Denver
- Departure time: 13:45
- Arrival time: 15:25
- Flight time: 4 hours and 40 minutes
- Flight number: UA2351
- Frequency: Only Saturdays
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All of these three flights will operate only on Saturdays. Flights from Cleveland to Nassau will be operated by a Embraer E175 while the other two new flights will be operated by a Boeing B737.
For most of the US airlines, short-haul international routes have been quite popular in the COVID-19 pandemic since destinations in Latin America and the Caribbean were among the first to reopen for tourism from the United States.
This winter, United will be operating 167 daily flights to the Caribbean, Central America, and Mexico, a 26% increase compared to the airline’s operations in Winter 2019.
Patrick Quayle, Vice President of International Network and Alliances, United Airlines, said:
Throughout the pandemic, Latin America has remained one of the strongest regions for United with leisure demand meeting or exceeding 2019 levels. We have been adding new flights to Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America since last summer and with today’s announcement, United will fly 20 new routes across Latin America that we did not operate in 2019 so our customers can enjoy more beaches and warmer weather.
Since 2019, United has added over 20 new routes to Central America, the Caribbean, and Mexico, including new flights from Denver, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.
Competition on these new routes
United will be the only airline to operate flights between Cleveland and the Caribbean winter. However, this is a route that could work well for the airline.
Guatemala City already receives service to Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, and Washington D.C. on United. With the addition of Chicago-Guatemala City route, the airline will fly more routes to Guatemala than any other US airline. On this route, United will not enjoy a monopoly as American Airlines already flies on this route.
Roatan already receives service from United to Houston. However, the expansion of service out of Denver is targeting new sets of travellers.
Meanwhile, United is heavily investing on Carbon-Free aircraft. The airline recently announced that it will buy up to 50 Supersonic aircraft from BOOM Aerospace. The Chicago-based carrier is also investing in airplanes that have lower carbon emissions. It includes the airline’s recent order of 200 Boeing B737MAX and 70 Airbus A321neo aircraft. It is also eyeing flying electric aircraft by 2026.
The airline recently added nearly 150 flights to Warm-Weather cities for Winter season, has added 74 flights targeted at Football fans and three brand-new Transcontinental routes. United is now also offering the option to pre-order snacks and beverages including to Economy class passengers. It is also offering more than 40 weekly flights between United States and London in anticipation of high travel demand as the United Kingdom has scraped the mandatory quarantine for fully vaccinated Americans. United has partnered with Walmart and Albertson Companies for easier COVID-19 testing and will operate flights between Orange County and Aspen this winter.
Featured image by The Explorer Blog
What do you think of United’s three new Short-Haul International Routes? Let me know in the comments section below.
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