United Airlines adds 3 more point-to-point routes from the Midwest
United Airlines continues to shake up its route map, adding more point-to-point service amid the pandemic.
The carrier’s latest additions come from its former hub in Cleveland – which gets nonstop service to Las Vegas and Phoenix – and Indianapolis, which will see nonstop flights to Orlando.
United says the additions are to meet an “expected surge in holiday travel.” Searches for holiday flights on United's website and app are up 16% compared to 2019, the last holiday season before the COVID-19 crisis upended travel in North America.
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To meet that demand, United is boosting its schedule on popular winter routes — including the new nonstop flights from the Midwest. The carrier also is restoring several other point-to-point routes it added last winter between the Midwest and Florida. Among those returning are routes to Fort Myers, Florida, from Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and Columbus, Ohio.
Elsewhere, United is upping wintertime frequencies to western ski resorts such as Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Sun Valley, Idaho; and Bozeman, Montana. A particular highlight comes with a new nonstop route that connects Burbank, California, to Aspen, Colorado.
“We’re seeing a lot of pent-up demand in our data and are offering a December schedule that centers on the two things people want most for the holidays: warm sunshine and fresh snow,” Ankit Gupta, United’s vice president of network planning and scheduling at United, said in a statement.
United’s current plan for December calls for more than 3,500 domestic flights – a number that United says is 91% of what it flew domestically in December 2019.
More United news: 99.5% of United employees have now complied with the vaccine mandate
Notable in United’s December boost are the additions from Cleveland. Aside from the Las Vegas and Phoenix nonstops, United also has previously announced seasonal wintertime service to Cancun, Mexico, and Nassau in the Bahamas. Come this December, United says it will offer the most departures it has flown from Cleveland since 2014 — the year the carrier officially dropped it as hub.
More broadly, United’s new point-to-point routes echo a strategy it adopted last winter as airlines around the nation struggled to adjust route maps to the new realities ushered in by the pandemic. After air travel cratered in the spring, a slow-but-steady rebound took hold — driven by demand to outdoor destinations that allowed for social distancing. High on the list were beaches in Florida and mountain destinations in the West — the same destinations United is focusing on in Thursday's announcement.
Details of United’s three latest point-to-point routes are as follows.
- Cleveland-Las Vegas: Begins Dec. 16 and runs through March 26; operated with Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
- Cleveland-Phoenix: Begins Dec. 16 and runs through March 26; operated with Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
- Indianapolis-Orlando: Begins Dec. 18 and runs through April 30; operated with Embraer E170/E175 aircraft
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Why We Chose It
Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees