United Airlines cuts 3 routes, but adds 3 others and starts a turf war

26.11.2024 - 18:09 / thepointsguy.com

United Airlines is making some noteworthy changes to its network.

The Chicago-based carrier filed plans over the weekend to slash three routes and add three others, as first seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by a carrier spokesperson.

In terms of cuts, United will exit the following three routes effective March 29, 2025.

All three of these routes were previously operated by United Express regional partners and were designed to boost connectivity through United's Newark hub, from where flyers could connect to hundreds of destinations worldwide.

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While all three cities will lose their connection to one of the airline's key Northeast hubs, there is a silver lining for flyers based in Manchester.

The airline is adding new nonstop service from Dulles International Airport (IAD) near Washington, D.C., to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT) beginning on March 30, 2025. This new route will be operated by CommuteAir onboard the ERJ-145 regional jet. United will operate the flight twice daily until May, when it will increase to three times daily.

"This route swap will bring the highly requested route to Dulles back to MHT. This will open up 65 domestic and international destinations with just one quick stop in D.C. We are excited to have United's nonstop flight to Dulles back on our map, and we think this will be a great route for our passengers as they visit our nation's capital and as they connect to the rest of the world," said Ted Kitchens, Manchester airport director, in a statement.

Note that United already flies from Dulles to Albany and Providence, so the Newark cuts will represent a net reduction in service to those outstations.

In addition to the new Manchester route, United is also adding two new routes to Edmonton International Airport (YEG). The airline will commence service to YEG from its Houston and Chicago hubs this spring, with the former starting on May 22, 2025, and the latter on May 24.

United will operate Chicago-to-Edmonton flights three times a week through Oct. 25, 2025. The Houston route will be flown four times a week on a year-round basis.

Neither of these routes are technically "new" for United. The airline last flew between Houston and Edmonton in March 2020 and between Chicago and Edmonton in June 2016, Cirium schedules show.

But the announcement's timing indicates that there might just be an ulterior motive to the route additions. Canadian low-cost carrier WestJet recently announced plans to launch three-times-weekly service from Chicago to Edmonton beginning on June 4, 2025.

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