United Airlines will add more than a dozen new routes over to Europe or across to Asia starting next spring, the airline announced Tuesday – more than half of which are not just new for United flyers, but brand-new destinations to Americans, period.
No airline goes bigger or bolder with adding new pins to the map than United, which has added a whopping 58 new international destinations in the last decade alone. But Tuesday's unveiling was arguably its splashiest set of new routes yet – due in large part to the arrival of new narrowbody Airbus A321-XLRs that can make the long trip across the pond while ferrying fewer passengers.
The airline is reaching farther into Europe with nonstops to underrated and up-and-coming destinations like Ljubljana (LJU) in Slovenia, Luxembourg (LUX), the coastal Spanish city of Valencia (VLC) and party-hardy isle of Ibiza (IBZ), and a pair of new destinations in both France and southern Italy – all from its Newark (EWR) hub. Denver (DEN) will get another European nonstop with the addition of Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG). And across the Pacific, United will fly nonstop from San Francisco (SFO) to the Japanese archipelago of Okinawa (OKA) as well as from Los Angeles (LAX) to Osaka (KIX).
All those new routes (and others!) start next spring and are already up for sale. All the while, the airline's previous additions to destinations like Split (SPU) in Croatia, Bari (BRI) in Italy, and even Nuuk (GOH) in Greenland aren't going anywhere.
Patrick Quayle, the airline's Senior Vice President of Global Network Planning and Alliances, said next year's slate of new routes was the result of “looking ahead to where people want to go and having the confidence to lead the industry” and “a mix of science, art, and a lot of creativity.” During a conference call with reporters ahead of Tuesday's announcement, he repeated the phrase “more destinations than any other U.S. carrier” nearly a half-dozen times.
Here's a look at everything new that United has on tap for 2027.
A Nonstop to Okinawa & More to Osaka
- San Francisco (SFO) to Okinawa (OKA)
- 3x weekly flights starting March 27, 2027
- Seasonal, ending late October
- Operated on a Boeing 777-200ER
United will be the first airline to touch down on the Japanese island of Okinawa after taking off in North America. But it won't be United's first time touching down in Okinawa, period.
The airline briefly flew to Okinawa back in 2012, but that was part of its famous “Island Hopper” service connecting multiple islands throughout the Pacific, from Honolulu (HNL) all the way to Guam (GUM) and onward. This time around, it'll fly 10-plus hours from its San Francisco hub straight to the southern Japanese island.
That's not United's only new nonstop to Japan kicking off March 27…
- Los Angeles (LAX) to Osaka (KIX)
- Daily flights starting March 27, 2027
- Year-round
- Operated on a Boeing 787-9
Separately, United will add new daily flights from Los Angeles (LAX) to the foodie capital of Japan, Osaka (KIX). United flies nonstop to Osaka from San Francisco, while Japan Airlines already operates the same route from Los Angeles.
Luxembourg
- Newark (EWR) to Luxembourg (LUX)
- Daily flights starting April 2
- Year-round
- Operated on an Airbus A321-XLR
The first of United's many experiments with its long-haul narrowbody planes will schlep passengers from the New York area straight to the tiny country of Luxembourg.
Sandwiched between Belgium, Germany, and France, Luxembourg wouldn't make the cut among the top 15 countries in Western Europe. And that's the point: People no doubt want to fly there … but have to connect – by plane, by train, or both – to get there. A 300-some seat widebody jet is just too big to fill.
Not anymore. United's 150-seat Airbus A321-XLR is small enough to take a swing at a nonstop to Luxembourg. Plus, it's decked out with new lie-flat suites at the front of the plane, Premium Economy for extra legroom, and United's buzzy new row in economy with blocked middle seats.
Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Newark (EWR) to Ljubljana (LJU)
- 4x weekly flights starting May 12
- Seasonal, ending late October
- Operated on a Boeing 767-400ER
That's right: United will get you nonstop to Slovenia next summer.
As travelers branch out beyond the usual haunts in France, Italy, Spain, and Germany, countries like Slovenia are suddenly on travelers' radars. This new route is arguably the poster child of what Quayle called “just how far we continue to push United’s international network.”
2 New Nonstops to France
- Newark (EWR) to Marseille (MRS)
- Daily flights starting June 4
- Operated on an Airbus A321-XLR
The first of United's two additions to France should delight anyone looking to head south: A nonstop to Marseille (MRS).
United will become the first and only U.S. airline offering nonstops to Marseille, though Canadian carrier Air Transat has offered nonstops on-and-off from its hub in Montreal (YUL) for years. While it may lack the glitz of Nice (NCE) in the French Riviera, Marseille has been growing in popularity as a way to escape the crowds of Paris and dig deeper.
A second addition in France has a more practical explanation.
- Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD) to Toulouse (TLS)
- Daily flights starting April 26
- Year-round
- Operated on an Airbus A321-XLR
Toulouse won't crack the top of many travelers' wish lists except for aviation nerds, as it's Airbus' primary operations center. Care to guess where the aircraft manufacturer's North American headquarters is? You got it: Just outside of the Dulles airfield.
Quayle said they're counting on plenty of Airbus employees making the trip back and forth on this new route – on their own jet, no less.
& 2 to Italy, Too
- Newark (EWR) to Olbia (OLB) in Sardinia
- Daily flights starting May 27
- Seasonal, ending late September
- Operated on a Boeing 767-300ER
For once, United is following Delta's lead with a pair of additions to Italy.
It starts May 27 with a nonstop to Olbia (OLB) on the Italian isle of Sardinia – a route Delta kicked off this summer after a public vote along with Malta (MLA). But there's another addition to Italy in the same vein that starts the very next day.
- Newark (EWR) to Catania (CTA)
- Daily flights starting May 28
- Seasonal, ending late September
- Operated on a Boeing 767-300ER
United already flies nonstop to Sicily with a nonstop to Palermo (PMO), a route it began in 2025. Next spring, it's adding a nonstop to the east coast of Sicily, joining Delta in adding flights to Catania (CTA).
On both routes, United is using one of its Boeing 767-300ERs decked out with a whopping 46 United Polaris business class seats – a clear shot across Delta's bow that United is betting it can poach “premium” travelers heading to Sicily next year.
A Pair of New Spanish Cities
- Newark (EWR) to Ibiza (IBZ)
- 4x weekly flights starting May 31
- Seasonal, ending early October
- Operated on an Airbus A321-XLR
United is heading from Newark straight to the famous Spanish party island of Ibiza (IBZ) next year. United will be the first and only airline to offer nonstop service from the U.S. straight to the island.
Ibiza is just off the coast from another new destination on United's map.
- Newark (EWR) to Valencia (VLC)
- 3x weekly flights starting June 2
- Seasonal, ending early October
- Operated on an Airbus A321-XLR
Alongside Ibiza, United is adding summer nonstops to the beachy seafood haven of Valencia (VLC) next year. Again, it'll be the only airline offering nonstop service … but not the first – Delta offered a nonstop to Valencia from New York City (JFK) for a few years more than a decade ago.
Terceira, Portugal
- Newark (EWR) to Terceira (TER)
- 3x weekly flights starting June 9
- Seasonal, ending early September
- Operated on a 737 Max 8
Most travelers heading for Portugal shoot for Lisbon (LIS) or Porto (OPO). The Azores – a chain of islands far off Portugal's western coast – has grown in popularity, with a handful of airlines offering nonstops into the capital of Ponta Delgada (PDL) – including United itself.
Next year, United will also make the hop to Terceira (TER), even further west in the Azorean archipelago. Operated on a 737 Max 8, it's one of the few additions on the list that won't offer lie-flat seats at the front of the cabin. And with service running from June through early September, it will be a short-lived option.
Denver to Paris
- Denver (DEN) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG)
- Daily flights starting May 27
- Year-round
- Operated on a Boeing 787-9
While most of the attention in United's big unveil is (rightly) on brand-new destinations, travelers in Denver will get a new nonstop to Europe.
Nonstops to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) kick off in late May and will run year-round. It's the fifth nonstop United flight to Europe from the Mile High City, joining London-Heathrow (LHR), Munich (MUC), Frankfurt (FRA), and Rome (FCO).
DC to Milan, Too
- Washington, D.C.-Dulles (IAD) to Milan (MXP)
- 3x Weekly flights starting March 28
- Year-round
- Operated on a Boeing 767-300ER
Meanwhile, D.C. denizens will get a new nonstop to the Italian fashion and business hub of Milan (MXP). That'll make for nearly 20 nonstops to Europe from the nation's capital next year.
Resuming Nonstop to Tel Aviv
- San Francisco (SFO) to Tel Aviv (TLV)
- 3x weekly flights resuming March 28
- Year-round
- Operated on a Boeing 787-9
Flights to Tel Aviv (TLV) in Israel have been sporadic since the war broke out in 2023. While other routes have since resumed, United's ultra-long flight from San Francisco (SFO) has been on pause ever since.
As part of its big route announcement, United added that these flights will resume come late March 2027.
