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?".
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 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 OâHare 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.
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!