United Airlines adds new transatlantic routes next summer as airlines bet big on international travel

Delta Air Lines and JetBlue have also added more service options to Europe

United Airlines is adding more transatlantic service next summer after seeing "historic levels" of demand for Europe, the carrier announced on Wednesday. 

The airline will add new routes to Malaga, Spain, and Stockholm, as well as Dubai to its 2023 summer schedule. It is also adding six more flights to Rome, Paris, Barcelona, London, Berlin and Shannon, Ireland.

Overall, the carrier will fly to 37 cities in Europe, Africa, India and the Middle East, which it says outpaces all other U.S. airlines combined. 

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Aside from adding new flights, the airline says it will also fly nine more routes from last summer. This includes direct trips between the New York area and Nice; Denver and Munich; Boston and London; Chicago and Zurich; as well as Chicago and Milan.  

United Airlines Boeing 787 jet

United Airlines Boeing 787-9 takes off from Los Angeles international Airport on July 30, 2022 in Los Angeles. (Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images / Getty Images)

The airline said travel to Europe was up 20% in the peak summer season compared with 2019. As a result, the company says it "focused on developing its network to serve continued demand strength."   

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However, United is not the only carrier betting big on European travel. 

Delta Air Lines announced Monday that it was also expanding its travel options to Europe. Through its Air+Rail program, the carrier will offer train connections to 20 additional destinations, which include a dozen new cities in the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland and the U.K. 

Passenger traveling by air

A passenger walks past a Delta Air Lines plane at a gate at Logan International Airport in Boston Jan. 3, 2022.  (Reuters/Brian Snyder/File Photo / Reuters)

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In August, JetBlue announced it was launching service between Boston’s Logan International Airport to London’s Gatwick Airport, which is "part of the airline’s focus city strategy and its long-term transatlantic growth plans." 

Ticker Security Last Change Change %
UAL UNITED AIRLINES HOLDINGS INC. 95.24 +0.84 +0.89%
DAL DELTA AIR LINES INC. 63.30 -0.03 -0.05%
JBLU JETBLUE AIRWAYS CORP. 6.09 -0.06 -0.98%

According to the airline, London was among the most requested destinations from the airline’s Boston customer base. 

jetblue airlines

A man talks on his cell phone while looking at a JetBlue Airways Airbus A320-200 plane at LaGuardia Airport in New York. (Reuters/Lucas Jackson / Reuters Photos)

The carrier also added new service from Boston to London’s Heathrow Airport last month and plans to add another Gatwick departure from New York starting on October 29.