United to launch flights to Croatia, Greece and Iceland

United Airlines is to launch seasonal routes to Croatia, Greece and Iceland this summer, as demand increases for services to “countries that are starting to reopen to vaccinated visitors”.

Flights from Washington Dulles to Athens, and from Chicago O’Hare to Reykjavik, will both operate daily from July 1, while services from New York Newark to Dubrovnik will operate three times weekly from July 8. Full schedules are detailed below.

The carrier said that the new routes reflected an increase in interest among its customers, with a 61 per cent increase in searches for the destinations on its website over the last month.

The Newark-Dubrovnik route is, as things stands, the only nonstop service between the US and Croatia.

Fellow US carrier Delta recently announced plans to increase flights from three US destinations to Iceland, citing it as “the first destination in Europe to permit entry to fully vaccinated Americans”.

Delta increases Iceland services, as country welcomes vaccinated travellers

Meanwhile United is adding the following services to its international schedules “in response to increased demand”:

• Three new markets in Africa, with service three times weekly to Accra, Ghana from Washington Dulles beginning May 14, 2021, three times weekly service to Lagos, Nigeria from Washington Dulles set to begin later this year and daily service to Johannesburg, South Africa from Newark beginning June 3, 2021 (subject to government approval)
• Expansion of its India portfolio to five daily flights with new service from San Francisco to Bangalore beginning May 27, 2021
• An increase in flights to Tel Aviv, with Chicago service resuming three times weekly on May 7, 2021 and expansion of San Francisco to daily service on June 3, 2021, for a total of 24 weekly frequencies
• In May 2021, United will resume service from Newark to Rome and Milan, and from Chicago to Munich, Amsterdam, and Tokyo Haneda
• In June 2021, United will resume flights between San Francisco and Tahiti

“As countries around the world begin the process of reopening, leisure travellers are eager to take a long-awaited getaway to new international destinations,” said Patrick Quayle, vice president of international network and alliances.

“These three new routes unlock the natural beauty of the outdoors for our guests. They are also the latest example of how United is remaining nimble in rebuilding our network.”

Customers can certify their Covid-19 testing and vaccine documentation using United’s ‘Travel-Ready Centre’, and the carrier noted that “Vaccinated travellers may still be subject to local country restrictions related to quarantines, testing, curfews and other requirements”.

united.com

Dubrovnik (DBV) – New York/Newark (EWR)  

Dates and times are subject to change. * First DBV – EWR service will operate on a Saturday (10 July 2021) 

Athens International Airport (ATH) – Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)  

Dates and times are subject to change.  

Keflavik Airport (KEF) – Chicago O’Hare (ORD) 

Dates and times are subject to change.