United Airlines doubles Newark flights, adds 9 long-haul international routes in August
United Airlines plans to double to the number of flights it offers at its Newark hub in August amid a double-digit schedule expansion as travelers continue to trickle back onto planes even as the coronavirus pandemic continues.
In August, the Chicago-based carrier plans will fly about 40% of what it flew globally last year, United said on Wednesday. This includes around 350 more flights from its domestic hubs, particularly Chicago O'Hare (ORD), Denver (DEN), Houston Bush Intercontinental (IAH) and Newark Liberty (EWR).
Destinations with ample outdoor space, like those in the mountains and near national parks, will see the largest increases. In addition, United plans to resume many of its Hawaii flights, including service to Hilo (ITO) and Lihue (LIH), pending a relaxation of the state's quarantine rules.
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"Demand is coming back slowly and we’re building in enough capacity to stay ahead of the number of people traveling," Ankit Gupta, vice president of domestic network planning at United, said in a statement.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened 625,235 people on Monday, June 29, its latest data shows. This was the first time since March that the number was a quarter of those screened a year ago.
However, the rise in travelers comes as a coronavirus cases spike across the U.S., particularly in southern and western states that reopened quickly. This has raised some concerns that the rise in flyer numbers could be short lived as people opt to again stay at or near home to avoid the virus.
Related: Air travel recovery faces new threat as coronavirus cases surge anew
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian has said the carrier may bring down its planned August schedule "a little bit" in response to the rise in COVID-19 cases. The carrier has planned to operate roughly 2,000 daily flights next month.
“Current traffic trends are below what we had previously forecast… and the resurgence of COVID-19 in some areas of the U.S. adds uncertainty around potential further travel restrictions,” Goldman Sachs analyst Catherine O’Brien wrote in a report on June 28. As a result, the firm now expects the U.S. industry to recover by 2023 instead of by 2022.
United may be somewhat insulated from the recent spike in infections. The airline is the sole major U.S. carrier without a hub in the Southeast — American Airlines is in Charlotte (CLT) and Delta in Atlanta (ATL) — which gives it marginally less exposure to some of the states where case numbers are rising quickly.
Related: State-by-state guide to coronavirus reopening
Notably, United's main north-south hub on the east coast, Washington Dulles (IAD), will see few added domestic flights in August.
American has yet to finalize its August schedule but plans to fly about 65% of what it flew last year in July.
United also plans to bring back some international services in August. The airline hopes to resume service to Tahiti (PPT) from San Francisco (SFO), as well routes to key European cities and partner hubs in Brussels (BRU), Frankfurt (FRA), London Heathrow (LHR), Munich (MUC) and Zurich (ZRH).
In its statement, United did not mention the EU decision to bar all non-essential American visitors from July 1. The 27-member country bloc will update its list of permitted countries every two weeks.
United also did not mention the impact of Connecticut, New Jersey and New York's mandatory 14-day quarantine on travelers arriving from at least nine states seeing spikes in COVID-19 cases. The airline slashed flights to the tri-state region when that area was the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S. in April.
In August, United will fly only about a quarter of what it flew internationally last year compared to about 48% of what it flew domestically, according to the airline.
Related: Air travel recovery may come slower than expected, analyst says
United plans to return 90 jets to regular service to support its expanded August schedule. This includes an undisclosed number of its Bombardier CRJ550s, which are the only 50-seat regional jets in the U.S. outfitted with a first class cabin.
Below is a list of select routes United plans to resume in August.
Domestic Routes
- Chicago O'Hare - Albuquerque (ABQ), Bangor (BGR), Colorado Springs (COS), El Paso (ELP) and Missoula (MSO)
- Denver - Charlotte (CLT), Detroit (DTW), El Paso, Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Fort Walton Beach (VPS), Greenville/Spartanburg (GSP), Hartford (BDL), Honolulu (HNL), Jacksonville (JAX), Kahului (OGG), Kona (KOA), Lihue, Little Rock (LIT), Louisville (SDF), Lubbock (LBB), Monterey (MRY), Paine Field (PAE), Richmond (RIC), Riverton, Wyoming (RIW) and Traverse City (TVC)
- Houston Intercontinental - Amarillo (AMA), Bozeman (BZN), Honolulu, Jackson Hole (JAC), Ontario (ONT) and Rapid City (RAP)
- Los Angeles (LAX) - Boston (BOS), Kalispell (FCA), Hilo, Kahului, Kona, Lihue, Phoenix (PHX) and Seattle-Tacoma (SEA)
- Newark - Bozeman, Burlington (BTV), Kansas City (MCI), Orange County (SNA), Rapid City, Sarasota/Bradenton (SRQ) and Syracuse (SYR)
- San Francisco - Lihue, Rapid City and Washington National (DCA)
Long-Haul International Routes
- Chicago O'Hare - Brussels and Frankfurt
- Houston Intercontinental - Lima (LIM)
- Newark - Brussels, Munich, São Paulo Guarulhos (GRU) and Zurich
- San Francisco - London Heathrow and Tahiti
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.