United adds 4 new domestic routes, including 1 new destination

09.10.2024 - 06:23 / thepointsguy.com / Andrew Nocella

United Airlines is expanding its domestic network with the addition of four new routes.

The Chicago-based carrier filed plans over the weekend to add new flights from its hubs at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Dulles International Airport (IAD) in the Washington, D.C., metro area.

The airline will add service from ORD to Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport (GUC) in Colorado and Morgantown Municipal Airport (MGW) in West Virginia, as first seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by a carrier spokesperson.

United will also add service from IAD to MGW and South Bend International Airport (SBN) in Indiana later this year.

The expansion kicks off Dec. 3 with daily service from Dulles to South Bend. United Express partner Republic Airways will operate this route using an Embraer E175 regional jet.

Then, on Dec. 13, daily service to Morgantown kicks off. United Express partner SkyWest Airlines will operate the two new MGW routes using a 50-seat CRJ-200 regional jet.

SkyWest will also operate once-weekly flights using an Embraer E175 on Saturdays from Chicago to Crested Butte beginning Feb. 15, 2025.

Morgantown is a new pin on United's route map. The service is supported in part by an Essential Air Service contract, meaning United receives subsidies from the government to operate it. That said, SkyWest decided to boost service in the D.C. market to daily even though the EAS subsidy only covers five weekly flights.

United last flew to Morgantown in September 2014, Cirium schedules show.

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All these new regional flights will give flyers based in smaller communities access to United's global network via one-stop connections in major hubs.

This regional expansion is just the latest network adjustment United has made recently. Last month, the airline added its first-ever flights to Dominica in the Caribbean, which are slated to take off early next year.

Plus, the carrier is expected to issue its hotly anticipated international route announcement for next summer in the coming days. Andrew Nocella, United's chief commercial officer, recently said at the Skift Global Forum that an exciting network unveiling is planned for Oct. 10.

That said, it's not all good news for United's global operations. The airline filed a few route cuts in its latest schedule update. This includes turning year-round flights from Chicago and Houston to Palm Springs, California, and West Palm Beach, Florida, into seasonal winter service.

Originally, the airline had planned to operate these four routes year-round, which would have been a notable upgrade compared to recent years when these flights were only operated during the winter schedule.

Finally, the