New Spanish Route Among United’s Summer 2023 Transatlantic Plans

Credit: Joe Pries

United Airlines’ transatlantic network will include new Spanish leisure destination Malaga during summer 2023—one of 37 cities in Europe, Africa, India and the Middle East that the US carrier plans to serve during the season.

Alongside the addition of a route to the Andalusian city, the Chicago-based carrier is also returning to Sweden’s capital Stockholm for the first time since September 2019, adding new connections to Barcelona, Rome and Shannon, and increasing service to London and Paris. Previously announced routes to Berlin and Dubai will also begin.

“Next summer United is offering the best of both worlds: we’re making it easier for our customers to visit the most popular cities in Europe, but we’re also expanding our reach to give travelers access to new places they haven’t yet experienced,” said Patrick Quayle, SVP of global network planning and alliances at United.

From May 31, 2023, United is launching a route from Newark (EWR) to Malaga (AGP), becoming the fifth Spanish destination in its network. Flights will be three times per week using Boeing 757-200 aircraft.

OAG data shows that the route will be the first to connect New York and Malaga nonstop since Delta Air Lines last operated a summer season New York John F Kennedy (JFK)-AGP service in September 2019.

Stockholm Arlanda will also return to United’s network on May 27 after an absence of more than three years, with daily service from Newark using 757-200s, while service to Shannon (SNN) in Ireland is being increased.

In addition to the Star Alliance member’s EWR-SNN service, a daily service from Chicago O’Hare (ORD) will open on May 25 onboard 757-200s. United last served ORD-SNN in September 2017.

Other additions include a route between Chicago and Barcelona (BCN) and flights between San Francisco (SFO) and Rome Fiumicino (FCO). Chicago-Barcelona will begin on May 25, operating daily using 787-8s. San Francisco-Rome starts the same day and will also be daily with 777-200ERs.

The two new routes increase United’s European network from Chicago to 14 destinations next summer and broaden its San Francisco network to seven cities in Europe.

The airline has also confirmed that the previously announced daily Newark-Dubai (DXB) route will start on March 25 with 777-200ERs, while daily Washington Dulles-Berlin (BER) flights will operate from May 25 using 767-400ERs.

On existing transatlantic routes, United said it plans to have 23 daily flights to London Heathrow (LHR) next summer, adding a second daily flight between Los Angeles (LAX) and Heathrow on March 25 on a 787-9. A second daily flight between Washington Dulles and Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) will also begin on June 2 onboard a 787-8.

Along with adding new flights, United will fly nine routes it added in summer 2022, including service between Newark and Nice (NCE); Denver (DEN) and Munich (MUC); Boston (BOS) and Heathrow; Chicago/O’Hare and Zurich (ZRH); and Chicago/O’Hare and Milan Malpensa (MXP), as well as flights to Amman (AMM) in Jordan; Azores (PDL) in Portugal; Palma de Mallorca (PMI) in Spain and Tenerife (TFS) in Spain.

David Casey

David Casey is Editor in Chief of Routes, the global route development community's trusted source for news and information.