If all international flights from the USA by all carriers are considered, United (including United Express) operates more than any other. It is the largest carrier to Asia and Europe and the largest U.S. airline to the Middle East, Australasia, Central America, Canada, and more.
In total, Cirium shows that United has 2,109 international flights departing in mid-September (double in both directions) – 15% of the entire market – on more than 240 routes. The following three routes have the most flights.
Chicago O’Hare to Toronto Pearson With only 439 miles (702 km), Chicago-Toronto is not a long route. United has 40 weekly flights departing in mid-September, making it the third most served international route. It has six daily flights, except on Saturdays when there are four. They depart from Chicago at 07:16, 10:39 (not on Saturdays), 13:45, 16:39 (not on Saturdays), 18:38, and 21:25.
United is one of the three airlines at the second busiest airport in the world, joining American (31 per week) and Air Canada (36), a member of the Star Alliance. In 2022, the market also saw WestJet, Flair, and Swoop, but all exited quickly.
Although the Embraer 175 operates half of United’s flights (20), the mainline 737-800 (daily; see the first image), 737 MAX 9 (daily; shown above), and A319 (six per week) are also used in the week examined. The mainline equipment means that United has an average of 117 seats to sell per flight, much more than Air Canada (76) and American (50). It is a market where frequencies (by smaller aircraft) continue to be key.
Newark to London Heathrow In second place is Newark (United’s busiest hub for flights) to London Heathrow, the third busiest large airport in the world. It has 42 weekly departures (six daily), joining British Airways’ 21 weekly operations. Newark accounts for more than one in four of United’s flights to Heathrow. Services depart from Newark at 08:45, 18:00, 20:00, 21:00, 22:00, and 23:00. On the return, they depart at 07:45, 10:00, 12:00, 13:00, 16:00, and 18:00.
About 35 flights are operated on the low-density 767-300ER with 167 seats, with only 56 seats in standard economy. Yes, it’s a large point-to-point market (in addition to all of United’s connecting opportunities), but it seeks high yields, hence the high frequency and premium configuration. Meanwhile, a daily service is operated by the 777-200ER with 276 seats (at 08:45 from Newark, at 07:45 on the return).
Newark to Toronto Pearson United’s most served international route in mid-September is from Newark to Toronto. It has 60 weekly flights, with nine daily flights every day except Saturdays (six). The high frequency is complemented by Air Canada (49). Together, the operations from Newark of the two Star carriers provide 28% of the Greater New York-Greater Toronto market.
United’s services depart at 06:59, 08:06 (not on Saturdays), 09:57, 12:02, 12:56 (not on Saturdays), 15:13, 16:13 (not on Saturdays), 18:03, and 20:11. Unlike Chicago-Toronto, all of United’s flights to Newark use the Embraer 170 or 175 on the seven days analyzed.
Will you be flying on any of these routes in September? Let us know in the comments. Information sources: Cirium, United website, Google Flights.
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Information sources: Cirium, United’s website, Google Flights
Text credits:By Journalist Flávio Bergmann
photomontage: Chris Green by Vinícius Pascoal