Dallas Are flights from the US to Europe going up too quickly? United Airlines is betting yes. The airline announced Tuesday that it will operate 25% more transatlantic flights this summer than it did in 2019, the last summer before the pandemic.
The airline’s senior vice president for international flights, Patrick Coyle, said it would be the largest transatlantic surge in United’s history. “We will be the largest airline on a ship,” he declared.
United said it would offer a mix of new destinations and old favorites, such as London. Later this week, United will begin serving several of the new destinations it named last fall, including the Azores in Portugal and the Canary Islands in Spain. The company is also adding more flights to its traditional destinations, for example, it will offer 22 daily flights from the US to London at the end of May.
Even before Tuesday’s announcement, United was set to offer more passenger capacity to Europe in June and July than its nearest competitor — 15% more than Delta Air Lines and 36% more than American Airlines, according to data from the research firm. Cerium. Each company also has partner European airlines.
There are some risks to the United States’ international growth plans, as the recovery of flights to countries other than the United States continues to track domestic travel.
Airlines largely blame this on the federal government’s requirement that travelers test negative for Covid-19 within 24 hours of boarding a flight to the United States. Some Americans are unwilling to risk being stranded abroad for several more days if they contract the virus during their trip.
Despite intense pressure from airlines, President Joe Biden’s administration has offered no indication that it will waive the test requirement.
