United bets big on winter travel in 39-route boost to the mountains

Get ready to dust off your skis and snowboards.

Over the weekend, United Airlines filed a schedule update that offers a glimpse into its route strategy for this coming winter, adding and returning service to numerous Mountain region destinations known for their world-class winter sports.

Specifically, the Chicago-based carrier is boosting service to nine outdoor-friendly destinations between December 2021 and March 2022, TPG found by examining data compiled by Cirium, which was later confirmed directly by the airline. The airports receiving increased service include:

• Aspen (ASE)
• Bozeman (BZN)
• Gunnison–Crested Butte, Colorado (GUC)
• Hayden/Steamboat Springs (HDN)
• Jackson, Wyoming (JAC)
• Kalispell, Montana (FCA)
• Montrose (MTJ)
• Sun Valley, Idaho (SUN)
• Vail/Eagle (EGE)

United will either add frequencies or upgauge aircraft — or both — to each of these airports, from every hub that it flies from. The full list of changes on the 39 affected routes is listed at the bottom of this story.

Though many of the boosts restore United back to pre-pandemic levels of service this winter, some of the schedule updates represent notable growth from the historic highs of 2019.

Much of that expansion comes on routes from Denver, one of the fastest-growing United hubs both before and during the pandemic. Bozeman, Jackson Hole and Vail will see increased frequency, with up to five, five and four daily flights from DEN during peak season, respectively.

Kalispell will see larger aircraft and increased frequency from DEN with up to four daily flights, and Gunnison will add a third daily flight from Denver during the winter.

In Sun Valley, United will extend its season into the Fall with one daily flight from Denver, marking the first time that UA has offered year-round service to this Idaho ski resort town. In another first for United, the carrier will offer up to two daily departures to the town from DEN in peak winter periods.

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The other increases from pre-pandemic levels are on flights from Chicago O'Hare (ORD). Kalispell will see increased weekend service from ORD, while Hayden and Montrose will be operated by mainline, 126-seat Airbus A319s instead of regional jets during the winter season. Finally, Jackson Hole will see increased service from ORD, with up to two daily flights.

All together, Cirium schedules show that United's planning roughly 10% to 15% more flights and nearly 25% more available seats on all of its routes to the nine airports above between December 2021 and March 2022, compared to the same months in 2019.

During the 2020-2021 winter season, United operated roughly 20% fewer flights to these Rocky Mountain airports than 2019 levels.

Now, however, United's optimistic winter boosts come as travel, especially within the leisure segment, is rebounding back to pre-pandemic levels. Thanks to the widespread vaccine rollout and falling case numbers, more and more travelers are comfortable returning to the skies.

Related: Review of United's brand-new bus service between Denver and Breckenridge

Throughout the last year and a half, outdoor-friendly destinations have proven popular with pandemic-weary flyers looking for places with plenty of built-in social distancing.

United's seemingly betting that this trend will continue into the winter, as it expects leisure travelers to pack their skies and return to the slopes.