United sees spikes in flight demand around the season’s biggest cultural moments | News
A summer of global events is boosting air travel, with United Airlines seeing a double-digit increase in demand for destinations linked to once-in-a-lifetime moments – from a total solar eclipse in Europe to international football matches and major global concert tours.
More than 53 million people are expected to fly with United this summer from June to August – about 3 million more than last year – and many will go to destinations tied to unique, can’t-miss moments, including:
Total Solar Eclipse: Astrotourism is on the rise, with more than 50% more bookings to Santiago de Compostela, Bilbao, Palma de Mallorca, Madrid and Barcelona, Spain, as well as Reykjavík, Iceland and Nuuk, Greenland, ahead of the August 12 total solar eclipse. United will fly to 35 destinations within the path of the eclipse, including Bilbao, Palma de Mallorca and Reykjavík in the path of totality.
International Football: Fans from all over the world are gearing up for an exciting summer to come together and cheer on their national team. United has seen a total increase of almost 20% in bookings to the North American cities hosting major international football matches from Thursday, June 11 to Sunday, June 27, including Mexico City, Guadalajara, Toronto and Los Angeles***. United hubs in Houston (IAH) and Chicago (ORD) each offer direct flights to all host cities.
Stylish concert seekers: US travelers are heading abroad for a golden opportunity to see their favorite musician live. Bookings to Amsterdam are up slightly compared to last year prior to and during the residency between May 16 and June 5, including an increase of over 10% in bookings on Friday June 5, the day of the last show there. United is also seeing a year-on-year increase in bookings to London compared to last year in the days leading up to the shows there, especially in late July, where bookings are up about 10% in the days leading up to the July 26-30 shows.
“Whether travelers are flying to witness a solar eclipse, cheering on their team or seeing their favorite artist live, our goal is to provide convenient flight options and a seamless travel experience, making it easy for them to get anywhere in the world they want,” said Patrick Quayle, Senior Vice President, Global Network Planning and Alliances. “With the largest global route network – and the most flights across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans – we are connecting customers to the moments that matter most this summer.”
Taking summer travel to the next level
The unofficial start of summer – Memorial Day weekend – is also expected to be one of the busiest travel times of the season, with United expecting approximately 3.9 million passengers between May 21 and 27, or about 575,000 customers per day across approximately 5,000 daily flights. This is approximately 270,000 more passengers than last year.
United is maximizing the inflight experience for travelers this summer, with features including:
Extensive seatback entertainment with more than 800 aircraft equipped with Bluetooth seatback audio displays – the most of any airline – offering customers access to one of the industry’s most comprehensive collections of premium inflight entertainment. Passengers can enjoy more than 1,600 hours of leading inflight entertainment, including award-winning films from Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Studios, along with premium content from Apple TV, HBO Max, Peacock and Spotify.
Starlink Wi-Fi is now available across United’s regional two-cabin fleet – averaging more than 25% of United’s daily flights – giving customers reliable, high-speed connectivity to stream entertainment, watch live sports, shop, work or play online games from gate to gate. The installation of Starlink in United’s mainline fleet is actively underway, with planned fleet-wide availability by the end of 2027.
More fresh dining options onboard with options like burgers, sandwiches, snack boxes and more available for pre-order and pre-purchase on united.com and the United mobile app to all customers on flights over 1,200 miles across North America, Mexico and the Caribbean. United Economy® customers on flights over 300 miles can also choose from three complimentary snacks.
More room for carry-on luggage with larger overhead bins available on most regular aircraft, designed to accommodate more customer rollaboard bags.
The award-winning United app with features like a virtual gate with live boarding progress, real-time baggage tracking, TSA wait times**** at US hub airports, and helpful passenger connecting features like personalized turn-by-turn directions to connecting gates, estimated transit times, and real-time flight updates – including when United’s Connection Saver technology is activated to hold a flight for a few extra minutes to help customers make close connections.
For more information, visit united.com.
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This increase in bookings is compared to bookings at the same time last year.
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United’s mobile app was named the ‘Best Airline App’ by The Business Traveler North America in 2023, won the ‘People’s Voice’ Webby Award for Best Travel App in 2021 and was a finalist for ‘Business & Finance’ in 2019.
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The full list of cities where United is seeing an increase in travel to includes Mexico City, Guadalajara, Toronto, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, Boston, Vancouver, Houston, Dallas, Philadelphia, Monterrey, Atlanta, Seattle, Miami and Kansas City
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Estimated security wait times are based on data available to United and may not reflect actual wait times, which may differ from estimates.
