Yesterday, we saw an excitingly cryptic video go public on United Airlines' Twitter account. The video shows computer-generated paper airlines flying through various U.S. locations that are known to be United hubs; locations like San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City. At the end of the quick-cuts and CGI airplanes, the video asks "Where will they land?".United Skiplagging Internal Memo

The announcement

The video ends with the promise of a new route announcement. This announcement will happen on August 22nd, 10am Central Dayight Time (CDT)...for anyone in London that will be 4:00pm, or 1:00am on August 23rd if you're in Sydney!

Any guesses?

With United having a significant fleet of 787s as well as 777s, long-haul routes are certainly an option. As the fuel-efficient 787 opens up long and skinny routes, we could see some interesting city pairings - but it's really anyone's guess!

Could United's cheeky response to @DavidHudson's request for Houston to Paris be some sort of indication that he's guessed correctly?

Or how about these other responses? ORD-MNL or ORD-MAD?

Or maybe whoever is managing the airline's social media account is just good at winding us up and keeping us guessing! United does respond to some inquiries with hints:

"Some will be warm!" the airline's Twitter account states, in response to an inquiry. That's about the only confirmation we really have so far.

United 787
United has one of the best global route networks. Photo: United

United Airlines and Tokyo-Haneda

This news comes just a few days after we had confirmation regarding new routes to Tokyo-Haneda (HND). United already flies non stop to and from Tokyo-Haneda from San Francisco. However, the airline is now adding the following slots to its schedule starting on March 20th 2020:

  • 1x daily Chicago O’Hare to Tokyo-Haneda flight using 777-200
  • 1x daily Los Angeles to Tokyo-Haneda flight using 787-10
  • 1x daily Newark to Tokyo-Haneda flight using 777-200
  • 1x daily Washington Dulles to Tokyo-Haneda flight using 777-200

In addition to those slots, United also applied to the U.S. Department of Transport for some additional slots but was not awarded them:

  • 1x daily Guam to Tokyo-Haneda flight using 777-200
  • 1x daily Houston to Tokyo-Haneda flight using 777-200

So it's possible that included in these announcements is Guam or Houston to Haneda.

United Aircraft
United's first Boeing 787-10 entered regular service earlier this year. Photo: United Airlines.

Conclusion

With the various aircraft and numerous hubs operated by United, the possibilities are far-reaching. Perhaps it could be a whole list of small regional short-haul routes - but it would be so anti-climactic to announce that after a teaser video like that.

Do you have any guesses as to what these new routes will be? Lock in your guess by leaving a comment and find out if you're right the next day!