United gears up for winter with a brand-new Orange County-to-Aspen route
If you're planning to hit the slopes this winter, United has a new option to get you there.
On Thursday, the Chicago-based carrier loaded a brand-new route from Orange County (SNA) in Southern California to Aspen (ASE), perhaps Colorado's most iconic ski resort. The daily, seasonal service will begin just in time for the winter holidays on Dec. 16 and run through March 26, 2022.
The two-hour, eight-minute flight will be operated by United Express partner Skywest aboard a CRJ-700, featuring six first-class recliners and 64 coach seats.
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Flights are already available for sale, with one-way fares starting at $259 for coach and jumping to $439 for first class. As of press time, there were plenty of saver award seats and upgrade availability on the new route. For now, United's charging 12,500 miles for a saver coach redemption, and 25,000 miles for first.
With this addition, United says it will offer nonstop service to the most ski destinations from Southern California. In Colorado, the airline will serve Aspen, Vail/Eagle, Hayden/Steamboat and Montrose/Telluride. The carrier will also fly to Bishop/Mammoth (another new route for the airline), Sun Valley, Bozeman/Big Sky and Jackson Hole.
While all eight of the aforementioned destinations will be served from Los Angeles (LAX), only Aspen is lucky enough to be served from both LAX and Orange County.
This unique route from Orange County could be a hit with local residents who prefer to fly from the John Wayne Airport, which is far more convenient for flyers who live south of LAX. Additionally, the airport itself is much easier to navigate, another reason why those looking for some winter fun will prefer this new United route.
Nonetheless, it'll be interesting to see if this unique point-to-point route will be successful for United. Department of Transportation data analyzed by Cirium shows that just eight passengers on average traveled from Orange County to Aspen each day in the first quarter of 2019. Of course, that's likely because no nonstop flights existed then — all of those passengers needed to connect to get to the slopes.
Related: United bets big on winter travel in 39-route boost to the mountains
Looking at nearby LAX, though, shows that nearly 155 passengers flew to Aspen each day in the first quarter of 2019. Though United held a 56% share of passengers flying between LAX and Aspen in that quarter, the airline's likely hoping to grow that number with the new SNA route — especially since it won't have any competition from Orange County.
This isn't United's only new route from Orange County during the pandemic. In May, the carrier re-launched service to Honolulu from the airport, marking the first time the route's been flown since 2012.
United inherited two legacy Continental routes, one from SNA to HNL and another from SNA to Maui/Kahului (OGG) when the carriers merged in 2010. United stopped the Maui flight in January 2012, followed by the Honolulu one six months later. Now, the newly relaunched Honolulu flight is seemingly performing well enough for United to keep it on the schedule year-round.
As for Aspen, only time will tell how it performs. But, during the pandemic when people are seeking outdoor-friendly activities and many international destinations are still closed to Americans, the odds are in United's favor.
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| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. |
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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