Emboldened by a busy 4th of July weekend, United Airlines is adding close to 150 flights to its domestic winter schedule. Alongside a multitude of opportunities for customers to vacation without leaving the country, the airline is also increasing its Latin beach and leisure schedule by 19% compared to 2019.

While we may be in the midst of northern hemisphere summer, and with temperatures racing through the roofs in parts of North America, winter is surely coming. Airlines are already busy planning for a 2021/2022 winter season that, by all indications, is looking to be better than the one before.

Confidence in planning is building

United Airlines announced on Friday that it would be adding close to 150 flights to sun destinations in the upcoming season, catering to holidaymaking Americans longing to escape the potential winter gloom. As demand for travel continues to build, not only is the carrier bringing back most of its domestic and Latin American leisure schedule but actually increasing capacity from 2019.

"Celebrating the holidays with family and loved ones in 2020 was a challenge, and we know our customers are already eager to plan winter vacations and gatherings in person this year to make up for time that they lost," said Ankit Gupta, United's Vice President of Network Planning.

"As pandemic restrictions ease, people are becoming more confident in planning travel further in advance, so we want to make sure to offer our customers as much choice as possible," Gupta continued.

United Airlines Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner N13013
The airline is adding a significant number of flights out of New York. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

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Industry strengthened by 4th of July figures

United is increasing services within the United States, as well as international leisure routes to Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America. To be precise United is adding 139 flights within the US. The optimism comes off the back of a 4th of July weekend that saw the airline carry five times as many passengers as it did over the same period in 2020. 

The additional domestic services include up to 25 daily flights to southern destinations such as Ft. Myers and Jacksonville in Florida and Savannah in Georgia from New York/Newark. United is also adding 14 daily departures from Denver to the same destinations.

United Boeing 737-800
United Airlines is giving North American customers ample amounts of choice for winter sun. Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Services will depart 12 additional times per day from Chicago to cities including Key West in Florida, Las Vegas in Nevada, and San Diego in California. Travelers from Washington D.C. can choose from 11 new flights to Charleston in South CarolinaNew Orleans in Louisiana, and Phoenix in Arizona. 

There will be seven additional flights from Houston to Florida destinations Miami, Orlando, and Palm Beach. Meanwhile, Los Angeles and Cleveland will see four additional departures each to Florida, represented by Tampa, Orlando, and Fort Myers. San Francisco will see three new flights on the schedule to Orlando and Fort Myers.

What do you make of United's substantial leisure schedule increase for the upcoming season? Will it pay off, or is it too soon to tell? Leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts.