United adds 3 new international destinations, including Marrakech, Medellin

07.03.2024 - 14:35 / thepointsguy.com / Patrick Quayle / Airlines

United Airlines is once again flexing its muscle as the country's largest and most diversified international carrier.

The Chicago-based carrier announced Thursday a handful of flights to three all-new destinations: Marrakech, Morocco; Cebu, Philippines; and Medellin, Colombia.

At the same time, United is also boosting its existing service to Europe and Asia with additional frequencies on larger jets.

Want more airline-specific news? Sign up for TPG's free biweekly Aviation newsletter.

You'll catch all of the details below, but this is one of the airline's most exciting network updates in the past two years. After a few blockbuster expansions during the pandemic, United's upcoming summer schedule includes just one "new" destination and a few new and resuming routes.

So, it's great to see United's network planners back at it once again. "This is your normal, exciting network planning team back in action," said Patrick Quayle, United's senior vice president of global network planning and alliances, in an interview with TPG.

Note that tickets for United's new Cebu flights are now available on the United app and on the airline's website, and Marrakech and Medellin flights will be available in the coming weeks.

United will add three-times-weekly winter seasonal service between Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Marrakech, Morocco, beginning Oct. 24.

The carrier will deploy one of its swankiest planes — the "high J" Boeing 767-300ER — on this new 3,664-mile route. The jet features a whopping 46 Polaris business-class pods, 22 Premium Plus recliners, 43 Economy Plus extra-legroom seats and 56 standard economy seats.

Clearly, United thinks that this route will perform well with deep-pocketed leisure travelers who are willing to splurge for upgraded seats. Hopefully, with so many premium seats on this route, we'll also see some saver award availability in Polaris business class.

Speaking about the choice to deploy its poshest jet, Qualye said that "we specially made that airplane as a London Heathrow and Zurich airplane. And what we've found is that it is a perfect airplane for premium leisure as well."

United will fly this jet to Marrakech during the winter when demand for travel to Europe drops. This is a "utilization play," said Quayle, explaining that "we're taking an aircraft that would be flying to continental Europe in the winter, and we're going to flip it to Marrakech."

When it launches, United will become the only airline consistently flying between the U.S. and Marrakech. Moroccan flag carrier Royal Air Maroc has a few one-off flights scheduled between Washington, D.C., and Marrakech in October, according to Cirium schedules, but nearly all of the airline's service to the U.S. lands at