United Airlines flying 3,500 US flights in December; most since COVID-19 pandemic began
Searches on the airline's app, website are up 16% from 2019
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United Airlines announced Thursday that it would fly its biggest domestic schedule since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In order to support an expected surge in holiday travel demand, the airline will fly 3,500 daily domestic flights in December, representing 91% of its domestic capacity in comparison with 2019.
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In a release, United Airlines said that searches on the airline's app and united.com are up 16% from that year.
The airline anticipates that the busiest travel days for the Thanksgiving holiday will be Wednesday, November 24 and Sunday, November 28.
The most popular days for winter holiday travel are predicted to be Thursday, December 23 and Sunday, January 2.
A United Airlines 737 Max 9 takes off (Credit: United Airlines)
The schedule will reportedly focus on connecting the Midwest to warm-weather destinations like Orlando, Fla. and Las Vegas, Nev., in addition to offering nearly 70 daily flights to ski vacation hot spots.
In addition, a new service will be offered between Orange County, Calif. and Aspen, Colo.
United Airlines offers flights to Aspen/Snowmass, Mammoth, Bozeman/Big Sky, Eagle/Vail, Kalispell, Gunnison/Crested Butte, Hayden/Steamboat Springs, Jackson Hole, Montrose/Telluride, Reno/Tahoe and Sun Valley, Idaho from its hub airports.
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"We're seeing a lot of pent-up demand in our data and are offering a December schedule that centers on the two things people want most for the holidays: warm sunshine and fresh snow," Ankit Gupta, vice president of network planning and scheduling at United Airlines, said in a statement. "We know families and friends are eager to reunite this holiday season, which is why we're thrilled to add new flights that will help them connect and celebrate together."
Earlier this year, United announced that it would tack on 150 flights to warm-weather destinations this winter.
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In December, the airline will commence with new direct flights from Cleveland, Ohio to Las Vegas and Phoenix, Ariz., in addition to flights from Indianapolis, Ind. to Orlando.
The carrier said that it would resume eight direct flights from midwestern cities and offer the most departures from Cleveland that the airline has flown since 2014, including direct flights to Nassau and Cancun.
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United will offer the most flights to Florida in company history this winter, offering as many as 195 daily flights to 12 destinations in the Sunshine State.
Lastly, the airline noted that it would resume direct flights from Columbus, Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh to Fort Myers.
In a regulatory filing in September, United said that COVID-19 cases its flying and revenue were both weaker than previously expected and several airlines said that the month's surge in COVID-19 cases was hurting ticket sales.