CHICAGO, Sept. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines
today announced it plans to fly 40% of its full schedule in
October 2020 compared to October of
last year. In September, United expects to fly 34% of its full
schedule.
Domestically, United plans to fly 46% of its full schedule in
October 2020 compared to October of
last year, compared to the 38% schedule it plans to fly
domestically in September 2020. The
airline also plans to resume eight routes to Hawaii, pending approval of the state's
pre-arrival COVID testing program.
Internationally, United expects to fly 33% of its schedule
compared to October of 2019, which is up compared to the 29%
schedule it plans to fly in September. United continues to respond
to the growth in leisure travel demand by adding flights to cities
in Mexico, Central America and South America.
"We continue to be data-driven and realistic in our approach to
rebuilding our network," said Ankit
Gupta, United's vice president of Domestic Network Planning.
"Because October is typically a slower month for leisure travel,
we're adjusting our schedules to reflect these seasonal changes in
customer demand while resuming service or adding capacity on routes
where we're seeing increased customer demand for travel."
United is being just as thoughtful in its approach to enhancing
the customer experience as it is in rebuilding its network. Earlier
this week, the airline was the first U.S. legacy carrier to
permanently eliminate change fees on all standard Economy and
Premium cabin tickets for travel within the U.S. In addition,
starting on January 1, 2021, any
United customer can fly standby for free on a flight departing the
day of their travel regardless of the type of ticket or class of
service. United has also been a leader in safety and enhanced
cleaning protocols; as part of its United CleanPlus program,
the airline established a partnership with Clorox and Cleveland
Clinic in May, was a leader in establishing mandatory face covering
policies for both customers and employees and was the first airline
to roll out touchless check-in for baggage. Yesterday, United
also launched the Destination Travel Guide, a first among U.S.
airlines, which makes it easy for customers to plan their travel by
helping them easily see local COVID-19 restrictions in all 50
states.
United is even realigning its schedule patterns with the
customer in mind to match the current demand for leisure travel. In
October, the airline plans to add more flights on days popular with
leisure travelers looking to get a head start on long weekend
getaways and will schedule fewer flights on days where demand is
traditionally lower.
Domestic
- Resuming or starting new service on nearly 50 routes, including
37 routes from United's Chicago,
Denver and Houston hubs.
- Resuming additional service to Florida including Washington-Dulles to Sarasota and Miami, and Denver to Fort
Myers.
- Resuming service between Los
Angeles and Eugene,
Medford and Redmond/Bend
in Oregon.
International
- Resuming service to 14 international destinations including
Bogota, Colombia; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Lima, Peru and Panama City, Panama.
- Increasing to twice daily service between New York/Newark and Tel
Aviv and resuming three-times weekly service between
Washington, D.C. and Tel Aviv on October
25.
- Resuming or increasing service to Cancun, Mexico City and Puerto Vallarta in Mexico from its hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, New
York/Newark and
Washington, D.C.
About United
United's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the
World." For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on
Twitter and Instagram or connect on Facebook. The common stock of
United's parent, United Airlines Holdings, Inc., is traded on the
Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".
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SOURCE United Airlines