United becomes only US airline with service to Morocco: On board the inaugural flight

Mongolia. Greenland. Senegal. Sicily.

First, though, is Morocco.

A United Airlines jet landed in Marrakech Friday morning, becoming the only U.S. airline to launch regularly scheduled service to the country.

The flight comes just weeks after United garnered a flurry of headlines over an intriguing — and borderline obscure — series of new destinations unveiled for 2025.

Over the next year, the Chicago-based carrier will launch service to far-flung places, from Greenland to Palau – staking out a claim among U.S. airlines as the leader for taking travelers beyond the most tried-and-trafficked overseas destinations.

United's strategy is now firmly taking hold, with Marrakech the latest milestone in its bold international gambit.

United launches Marrakech service

Inside EWR's Terminal C Thursday night, the sounds, sights and smells of an airline inaugural flight filled the gate area, starting nearly three hours before this much-anticipated flight took off.

"We're making history," proclaimed Patrick Quayle, United's senior vice president of network planning and alliances, while speaking to an enthusiastic crowd ahead of the flight.

Marrakech is located in central Morocco, about 150 miles south of Casablanca, where most U.S. travelers have typically flown if they're headed to the North African country — the northern tip of which sits mere miles from the southernmost point in Spain.

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The city is known for its bustling markets, or souks, inside its historic, walled-off Medina. There's also an established high-end hotel sector that got a boost this summer with the long-awaited opening of a Park Hyatt property.

Travelers — and the travel industry — are taking notice; look no further than a Canadian airline's recently added service to Marrakech from Montreal, which this year was a finalist at an aviation event for the illustrious title of "sexiest new airline route."

Morocco is also set to be among multiple countries hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

That increasing allure of Marrakech to U.S. travelers is what landed the city a multiyear spot on Quayle's "shortlist," he revealed in March when United announced it would become America's first airline to serve the destination with regular nonstop service.

Inaugural festivities

Passengers lucky enough to land a spot on UA Flight 628 Thursday evening didn't have to wait for arrival to get a taste of their destination's local cuisine.

Gateside, the airline's catering team served up Moroccan classics, from stuffed grape leaves to spiced lamb meatball sliders, chicken skewers and tea.

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There were also plenty of spots to grab a photo or some United gear as keepsakes.

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Fifty minutes before departure, after a ribbon-cutting to symbolize the start of the new route, it was time to board.

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United is flying its "High J" Boeing 767-300ER on the route.

The jet typically flies to Europe every summer but will cater to premium leisure travelers during the winter months.

It features a whopping 46 Polaris pods, 22 Premium Plus recliners, 43 Economy Plus seats and 53 standard economy seats.

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On board

On board, there seemed to be genuine excitement among the cabin crew and the many United team members who made the inaugural trek.

"This is my first inaugural. I'm so excited. I feel very honored," I heard one flight attendant tell a passenger.

At each seat, there were mementos to mark the occasion.

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In my Polaris pod, beyond the Saks Fifth Avenue bedding and Therabody amenity kit, I found a commemorative boarding pass, a postcard, a luggage tag and a stuffed bear with a pin donning the American and Moroccan flags.

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Quayle himself handed out pajamas specially made for the inaugural flight.

Also custom-made for the route: the dinner menu.

It wasn't just the design of the menu that stood out. Appetizer options included cold smoked duck or a trio of dips (I opted for the latter, featuring baba ghanoush, mahamari and chickpea hummus).

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Following a Moroccan salad, the crew served up savory braised chicken tagine that I selected in a close call over the Moroccan spice-rubbed lamb rack and the Chilean seabass.

A boisterous welcome in Morocco

Aside from some mild turbulence early in the flight, the overnight trek east across the Atlantic was uneventful. After seven hours and one minute of flying time, we touched down at RAK at 10:07 a.m. local time.

Deplaning down airstairs moments later, passengers got a literal red carpet welcome in Marrakech, flanked by music, dancing and greetings from local dignitaries.

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Part of a larger international strategy

United will serve this seasonal route during the winter months before shifting its High J aircraft back to Europe to meet the strong summer season demand there.

But its footprint in Africa seems to be headed in a clear upward trajectory.

"Back in 2019, we didn't have a single flight to Africa," Quayle pointed out Thursday. "We're now the fastest-growing airline from North America to Africa with six destinations. It's pretty incredible."

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In 2024, United's total seats flown to the continent are set to rise a modest 5.3% over 2023, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. The growth is even more stark this winter when, between October and March, the addition of Marrakech will help boost United's seats to Africa by some 31% over a year ago, Cirium shows.

Could more be coming? And might any of those be as unique as the ones United announced earlier this month? Trying something new, of course, carries some level of risk. United experienced some growing pains, for instance, amid a dramatic scaling up of its transpacific network.

But executives say travelers want these fresh, different options — particularly after a summer that saw suffocating crowds at some popular European tourist destinations.

"We look across the globe; we look for new destinations, we look for hot destinations, and destinations, most importantly, destinations we can make money in. We have a really good track record of this," Andrew Nocella, United's chief commercial officer, told Wall Street analysts on last week's third-quarter earnings call, touting the benefits of United's hubs in New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., as key drivers in an international-centric strategy it sees as a centerpiece of its business.

"Those hubs just simply unlock the ability to fly to places like Marrakech, or Greenland, or other places that we've added recently to the map," Nocella added. "We'll make sure we're growing profitably, but expect more to come on this front."

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