Everyone flies to London and Paris. United adds Ulaanbaatar and Kaohsiung

In September, American Airlines announced five new routes to Europe with destinations including Athens, Edinburgh, Madrid, Milan and Rome. American also expanded service to four Asian cities.

Later in September, Delta upped the ante with new routes to Barcelona; Brussels; Catania, Sicily; Dublin, Naples, Rome and Milan. Delta also added Salt Lake City to Seoul. Atlanta will also have 66 international destinations.

The bet is that Americans continue to love international travel and still like the same traditional, reliable destinations in Europe. American said it is the leading airline to Greece and Spain. Delta said it was the leading airline to Italy.

Then we have United.

United announced Thursday that it is planning the largest international expansion in its history, focusing on unique destinations. The 2025 summer schedule includes flights to eight new cities: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Nuuk, Greenland; Palermo, Italy; Bilbao, Spain; Madeira Island, Portugal; Faro, Portugal and Dakar, Senegal.

“The savvy traveler has been to Paris and Madrid so many times that they are looking for more unique content,” Patrick Quayle, senior vice president of global network planning and alliances at United, told reporters at a briefing Wednesday.

“These are unique destinations that are undiscovered gems,” Quayle said. “People expect United to tell them where to fly.”

Asked whether the destinations were experimental, Quayle pointed to United's global reach and strong international hubs, including Tokyo Narita. “We have amazing assets,” he said. “We are bold because of the assets and strength we have. I wouldn't call it experimental; it builds on success.”

He also said United analyzed credit card trends and other indicators for potential new travel destinations. He referenced a saying: “You skate where the puck goes, not where the puck was.”

Regarding Ulaanbaatar, perhaps the most exotic of the new destinations, Quayle said international passengers had been entering Mongolia via Beijing, but after the pandemic, “That traffic is not connected in Beijing, so we thought we had a way to get that traffic.” to connect in Japan.” ”

United will be the only U.S. airline flying to Mongolia, with Tokyo-Ulaanbaatar starting May 1.

“Ulaanbaatar is the gateway to some of Mongolia’s most pristine lands, offering reindeer sleigh rides, camel racing and dramatic scenery perfect for adventurous travelers,” United said in a press release. Nearly half a million people have visited Mongolia so far in 2024, a 25% increase compared to 2023, as travelers seek the exotic, the airline said.

“We’re thinking about Tokyo differently than before,” Quayle said. “We have some 737s based in Guam. We are able to fly them out from Tokyo with Guam crews.” Another advantage of Tokyo is a partnership with the Japanese ANA Airlines, which has a Narita hub.

United acquired its Tokyo hub in 1985 when it bought Pan Am's Asian assets. After World War II, Northwest and Pan Am established hubs in Tokyo. Kaohsiung and Koror, Palau and Ulaanbaatar are served from Tokyo.

As for Africa, Dulles-Senegal, which launches May 23, will bring United's total number of Africa destinations to five, including Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa; Accra, Ghana and Lagos, Nigeria as well as seasonal service to Marrakesh, Morocco. United said the new Dakar flight “will continue to drive Africa’s growth.” Quayle mentioned “the large Senegalese diaspora in the Washington area.”

United said it will offer the most transatlantic flights of any U.S. airline, with more than 760 weekly flights to more than 40 destinations. In addition to its unique destinations, United will also add flights to Spain, Italy, France, Greece and Croatia.

In addition, United flies to more international destinations than any other U.S. airline, with 400 daily departures to 147 destinations, including 40 nonstop routes not served by any other domestic airline.

Starting in May, United will begin flights from Newark to Nuuk, Palermo, Bilbao, Madeira and Faro. Dulles will have Dakar year-round and offer seasonal flights to Nice and Venice.