As more travelers begin to plan getaways with family and friends, United Airlines is kicking off summer vacation season with a May schedule that includes the addition of 26 new nonstop routes between Midwest cities, such as Cleveland, Cincinnati and Milwaukee, and popular vacation destinations like Hilton Head, SC, Pensacola, FL, and Portland, ME. The airline also plans to resume more than 20 domestic routes and will start new service between Orange County, CA and Honolulu.
Internationally, in May United will fly more than 100 percent of its pre-pandemic schedule to Latin America, compared to what it operated in 2019, including more flights to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and South America. The airline also plans to resume flights between Chicago and Tokyo Haneda, as well as from Los Angeles to Sydney and Tokyo Narita. United will also resume passenger flights between Newark and Milan and Rome, and restart service between Chicago and Amsterdam, Munich and Tel Aviv. In total, United plans to operate 52 percent of its overall schedule compared to May 2019, whereas in May 2020 United operated 14 percent of its overall schedule.
Domestic May Schedule
Starting May 27, United will begin point-to-point service to Charleston, Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach, SC, Pensacola, FL and Portland, ME from seven cities, including Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and Indianapolis. United plans to operate these routes through Labor Day weekend. Most customers on these flights will experience United's new Bombardier CRJ-550; it's equipped with 10 first class seats, 20 Economy Plus seats, 20 standard economy seats, Wi-Fi, more legroom and enough overhead bin space for every customer to bring a roller bag on board.
United also continues to offer more than 200 weekly flights to Hawaii, including new service between Orange County and Honolulu. In May, United will begin offering United Premium Plus service on select Hawaii routes, which includes a bigger, more comfortable seat and a complimentary meal. United Premium Plus will be available for customers traveling to Honolulu and Maui from Chicago and Denver and will be expanded in June to flights between Chicago and Kona, Houston and Honolulu, and Newark and Maui. United allows customers with valid negative COVID-19 tests to pre-clear before departing to Hawaii so they can save time and skip document screening lines upon arrival in the islands.
In addition to the new point-to-point service, United will resume 20 domestic flights to popular destinations and introduce three new domestic routes. This new nonstop service includes flights between Houston and Kalispell, MT, Washington, D.C. and Bozeman, MT, and between Chicago and Nantucket, MA. Overall, United plans to operate 58 percent of its domestic schedule compared to May 2019.
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