In yet another sign of hopes that US summer 2021 demand will be driven by pent-up leisure demand, United Airlines (UA, Chicago O'Hare) has announced a set of 27 new leisure-focused point-to-point domestic routes, mainly to East Coast destinations.
"As we rebuild our schedule to meet that demand, adding in seasonal point-to-point flying is just one of the ways we are finding opportunities to add new and exciting service. And as we have done throughout the entire pandemic, we will continue being nimble and strategic with our network," Vice-President (Domestic Network Planning & Scheduling) Ankit Gupta said.
Its regional capacity providers will operate all of the carrier's new East Coast leisure routes. According to the ch-aviation schedules module, United's new routes include services from:
- Cincinnati International to Charleston International, Hilton Head, Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional, and Portland International Jetport (each of them 3x weekly operated by GoJet Airlines (G7, St. Louis Lambert International) using CRJ550s),
- Cleveland Hopkins to Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach International, Pensacola, and Portland Int'l Jetport via Charleston and Indianapolis International (each of them 3x weekly operated by GoJet Airlines with CRJ550s),
- Columbus John Glenn, OH to Charleston (3x weekly), Hilton Head, and Portland Int'l Jetport (both 4x weekly; all three routes operated by GoJet Airlines with CRJ550s),
- Indianapolis to Charleston, Portland Int'l Jetport (4x weekly each), and Hilton Head (3x weekly; all three operated by GoJet Airlines with CRJ550s),
- Milwaukee General Mitchell to Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Pensacola, Portland Int'l Jetport, and Savannah International (2x weekly each, all routes operated by Air Wisconsin (ZW, Appleton Outgamie County Regional) using CRJ200s),
- Pittsburgh International to Charleston, Hilton Head, Pensacola, and Portland Int'l Jetport (3x weekly each, all operated by GoJet Airlines with CRJ550s), and
- St. Louis Lambert International to Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach (both 3x weekly operated by GoJet Airlines with CRJ-550s).
All of the above routes are due to launch on May 27-28, 2021.
United Airlines also announced a new Hawaiian service, connecting Santa Ana, CA with Honolulu daily and starting on May 6. The route will be operated by mainline B737-800 narrowbodies.
Besides the point-to-point bonanza, the airline also announced three new hub domestic routes:
- from Houston Intercontinental to Kalispell International (daily starting on June 3, operated by Mesa Airlines (YV, Phoenix Sky Harbor) with E175s),
- from Washington Dulles to Bozeman (5x weekly starting on July 1, operated by mainline's A319-100s), and
- from Chicago O'Hare to Nantucket (4x weekly beginning on May 28, operated by GoJet Airlines with CRJ550s).
In sum, United Airlines said that its May 2021 capacity would amount to 52% of its May 2019 level (58% on the domestic market). However, the recovery is highly uneven, with long-haul markets dragging the average down. The airline plans to increase its Latin American capacity above the pre-pandemic level, primarily due to leisure demand for Mexico and the Caribbean.
