United's big reveal: 4 new destinations and 6 new routes added for summer 2026
United Airlines is once again reinforcing its position as the most international U.S. airline.
Next summer, the airline will add six new international routes, four new destinations and an additional frequency in one of its most successful long-haul markets.
Moreover, United is bringing back all of its flights from this past summer's expansion, including Greenland, Mongolia and Portugal's Madeira Island. With that, the carrier will fly to a whopping total of 46 transatlantic destinations next summer.
Here's everything you need to know to start planning your summer trip. And if you're ready to book, all the new flights are already available for sale.
United unveils 4 new destinations
Beginning in April 2026, United will add four new transatlantic destinations to its network. The full list is available below.
| Route | Notes | Start date | Seasonality | Frequency | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newark to Split, Croatia | New destination | April 30, 2026 | Seasonal | 3 times weekly | Boeing 767-300ER |
| Newark to Bari, Italy | New destination | May 1, 2026 | Seasonal | 4 times weekly | Boeing 767-300ER |
| Newark to Glasgow, Scotland | New destination | May 8, 2026 | Seasonal | Daily | Boeing 737 MAX 8 |
| Newark to Santiago de Compostela, Spain | New destination | May 27, 2026 | Seasonal | 3 times weekly | Boeing 737 MAX 8 |
All four of the new destinations will be unique to United among the U.S. airlines.
In terms of the new destinations, it's perhaps no surprise to aviation observers that the airline is expanding in Southern Europe. The airline (and its competitors) have repeatedly said that some of the tried-and-true destinations across Europe, such as London, Paris and Rome, haven't been performing as well as they might've liked. (Case in point: United will go from twice-daily service this summer to once-daily service next summer between Newark and Athens, Greece, and Frankfurt.)
With softer demand, United needs to find new destinations that attract enough flyers to fill a wide-body throughout the summer.
In Croatia, United will offer service to Split and Dubrovnik. Before this expansion, holidaymakers headed to Croatia would need to either connect to and from Split in major European hubs or fly round-trip from Dubrovnik. Seemingly, United (and its transatlantic joint venture with the Lufthansa Group) has enough data to support pulling out all the stops between Split and the U.S.
On board the inaugural: United Airlines connects the US to Greenland in historic new nonstop flight
The same argument can likely be made for Bari in Italy's Puglia region. While niche Italian carrier Neos operated a once-weekly nonstop from New York to Bari this summer, Puglia hasn't traditionally been at the top of many Americans' travel lists. United likely noticed more travelers connecting through European hubs to reach the region — and saw an opportunity to capture that demand directly. At the same time, adding new nonstop service can help stimulate even more interest in this region.
Notably, United will deploy its "high J" Boeing 767-300ER on the Split and Bari flights. This is one of United's most premium jets, featuring 46 Polaris business-class pods, 22 Premium Plus recliners, 43 Economy Plus extra-legroom seats, and 56 standard economy seats.
Seemingly, United thinks there will be appreciable premium demand on these new routes, but if I were a betting man, I'd say that getting an upgrade or a last-minute saver award seat on these routes might be easier than you might think.
Over the years, Bari and Split have been among the more leisure-focused destinations in Europe (just look at the preponderance of European ultra-low-cost carriers flying there), so it'll be very interesting to see if United can fill all of its business-class and premium economy seats on these planes.
The other two new destinations — Glasgow and Santiago de Compostela — will be served by 166-seat Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, which don't feature lie-flat business-class pods or a true premium economy cabin.
Year after year, United has been adding more transatlantic service on board the MAX. It might not offer the most comfortable onboard experience, but it does offer unique economics and range that make flying this jet across the Atlantic far cheaper than a wide-body.
United just flew where no US airline has gone: On board the historic inaugural flight to Mongolia
And before you get excited about the upcoming lie-flat-equipped Airbus A321XLR aircraft replacing the MAX on these long-and-thin routes, United's network chief, Patrick Quayle, was quick to temper those expectations.
"Even if I had the A321XLR today, I would not fly the XLR to any of those routes that we're flying the MAX 8 on. I view the MAX 8 as one unique asset, and I view the XLR as another unique asset," he explained.
The A321XLR will still give United the economics and range it's looking for from a single-aisle jet, but it'll also offer a true long-haul-style passenger experience with lie-flats and premium economy. For that reason, it'll be positioned as a replacement for the Boeing 757-200.
"The XLR is going to go in and replace the Boeing 757-200. And it's also going to do incremental new things," Quayle added.
It's worth noting that Glasgow isn't technically a "new" destination for United. It was last served in the summer 2019 season before being suspended due to the pandemic. For years, United consistently operated flights from Newark to Glasgow using the Boeing 757-200.
Meanwhile, Santiago de Compostela will be a new destination served from the U.S. United says that flyers will enjoy exploring the Galicia region and its rich history, cathedrals and medieval architecture.
United adds 6 new routes
In addition to the new destinations, United is adding new routes to existing destinations. They include:
| Route | Notes | Start date | Seasonality | Frequency | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington, D.C., to Reykjavik | New route | May 21, 2026 | Seasonal | Daily | Boeing 757-200 |
| Newark to Seoul, South Korea | New route | Sept. 4, 2026 | Year-round | Daily | Boeing 787-9 |
The new route from Washington to Reykjavik definitely fits the bill for a traditional European expansion. While Iceland might not draw as many tourists as London or Paris, plenty of Americans still seek vacations to Iceland in the summer. The service from United's Washington hub, Dulles International Airport (IAD), will complement its existing flights from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).United will go up against Icelandair on the route from Dulles to Reykjavik.
Meanwhile, the only new transpacific route announced as part of this expansion is service from Newark to Seoul. United says this service will build on its twice-daily flights from San Francisco and make it the only U.S. airline offering nonstops to Seoul from the Northeast.
Delta Air Lines flies to Seoul — its key SkyTeam transpacific gateway — from Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and Seattle. American Airlines flies to Seoul exclusively from Dallas-Fort Worth.
That said, several South Korean carriers already serve the New York area. Air Premia flies to Newark (albeit without a business-class cabin), while Korean Air and Asiana Airlines fly to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).
However, United is already planning to add three more transpacific destinations to its network — routes the carrier announced in April. Service to Bangkok in Thailand and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam begins later this month, while flights to Adelaide, Australia, start in December.
United adds new Israel frequency
United will add yet another new flight to Tel Aviv next summer. Beginning March 28, 2026, United will offer up to three daily flights to Tel Aviv from Newark. This new third frequency will operate four times a week on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
In November, United is planning to resume four-times-weekly flights to Tel Aviv from Chicago and three-times-weekly flights from Dulles.
The airline hasn't mentioned when (or if) the San Francisco-to-Tel Aviv route will return, but adding a third frequency from Newark helps the airline retain its title as the biggest U.S. airline flying to Israel.
Outside of Israeli flag carrier El Al, United will operate more flights to Tel Aviv than just about any medium- or long-haul carrier serving the country.
United's main competitors have lagged in the market. American has struggled to make Israel service work, dropping its route from Miami while daily service from New York remains suspended indefinitely. Delta, meanwhile, offers once-daily service from New York and hasn't announced when it might resume flights from Atlanta and Boston.
United resuming summer 2025 routes
In addition to the new flights, United will bring back all nine of its new destinations, including Mongolia and Greenland, that it started flying this summer.
The full list of resumption dates is below:
- Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia: April 30, 2026
- Faro, Portugal: May 15, 2026
- Madeira, Portugal: May 16, 2026 (three weeks earlier than in 2025)
- Palermo, Italy: May 22, 2026
- Bilbao, Spain: May 30, 2026
- Nuuk, Greenland: June 6, 2026 (one week earlier than in 2025)
- Kaohsiung, Taiwan: Operating year-round service
- Dakar, Senegal: Operating year-round service
- Puerto Escondido, Mexico: Operating year-round service
Bottom line
Each year, the Chicago-based carrier makes two splashy route announcements — one in the spring and another in the fall — with the latter typically being the bigger of the two since it covers the following summer's schedule.
While last summer's expansion was United's most ambitious yet, this year's update — which adds four new destinations — is still exciting. That's especially true given broader industry trends and how United compares to its competitors.
With transatlantic demand a bit softer than many airlines anticipated, United is doubling down on its strategy of serving smaller destinations that aren't connected with nonstop flights. Instead of pouring more capacity into the usual European hot spots, the airline is charting new territory to places like Split and Santiago de Compostela.
Meanwhile, both American and Delta have already unveiled their own summer expansions, though neither comes close to matching United's scale or ambition. In fact, United will serve a remarkable 41 international destinations that no other U.S. airline serves — a stat that underscores its increasingly global footprint.
For years, United has positioned itself as the flag carrier of the United States. And while that title might still spark debate in Atlanta or Fort Worth, it's hard to argue with the results — United continues to take travelers to more corners of the world than any other U.S. airline.
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