United Airlines is forging a more rational route map these
days as it adds a slew of destinations.
One key aim is to funnel more flyers destinations through its
large hubs and get them on their way via right-sized aircraft.
That means switching short-haul flights to destinations out of its hub at
Washington Dulles, while longer-haul journeys depart New
York/Newark Liberty International.
The airline says it’s “optimizing” Newark (EWR) and Dulles (IAD). By shifting short-haul traffic to Dulles and longer-haul operations to Newark, the carrier
contends passengers will benefit.
There’s a new service from Newark to Hilton Head Island on the
Atlantic Coast of the US as well as Pensacola on the Gulf Coast.
READ: United pledges 50 percent greenhouse cut by 2050.
Much farther afield are new Newark-Anchorage nonstops. At the
same time United is expanding flights to key business destinations, including St. Louis, Omaha, Richmond and Kansas City.
Shorter runs from Newark are being shifted to Dulles.
This means you won’t be able to fly United nonstop out of Newark anymore to Elmira, New York; Lexington, Kentucky or Manchester, New Hampshire.
Those flights migrate down the coast to Washington Dulles, which gets a new
nonstop down the spine of the Appalachian Mountains to Asheville,
North Carolina.
These moves could cut air traffic congestion delays, if only
marginally, at runway-constrained Newark as larger aircraft
displace some smaller commuter regional jets.
See our ratings for United.
Even as it realigns Newark and Dulles, United is preparing to boost
connectivity from of its West Coast U.S. San Francisco (SFO) hub.
From June 6, 2019, it will start flying nonstop from San Francisco to
Eugene, Oregon; Madison, Wisconsin and Pasco/Tri-Cities area of
Washington state.
Sometimes airlines lay on special service to meet the demand of
select groups of flyers.
Consider what’s happening in February 2019 when United fields a 777-200ER between San Francisco and Barcelona to accommodate at least a slice of the demand generated by the 2019 Mobile World Congress, which is expected to
attract some 107,000 attendees to that Spanish city in mid to late
February.
The special flights depart San Francisco February 23 and
27 and return to San Francisco February 24 and 28. The Bay Area of
northern California is heavily-populated by technology companies.
Mid-continent activity gets a boost as United launches service
between its Denver hub and Charleston, South Carolina; Eureka
California and seasonally, Fairbanks, Alaska.
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