United becomes only US airline with service to Morocco: On board the inaugural flight

25.10.2024 - 16:45 / thepointsguy.com / Patrick Quayle

Mongolia. Greenland. Senegal. Sicily.

First, though, is Morocco.

A United Airlines jet landed in Marrakech Friday morning, inaugurating the carrier's first regularly scheduled service to the country.

The flight comes just weeks after United garnered a flurry of headlines over an intriguing — and borderline obscure — series of new destinations unveiled for 2025.

Over the next year, the Chicago-based carrier will launch service to far-flung destinations from Greenland to Palau – staking out a claim among U.S. airlines as the leader for taking travelers beyond the most tried-and-trafficked overseas destinations.

United's strategy is now firmly taking hold, with Marrakech the latest milestone in the its bold international gambit.

Inside EWR's Terminal C Thursday night, the sounds, sights and smells of an airline inaugural flight filled the gate area, starting nearly three hours before this much-anticipated flight took off.

"We're making history," proclaimed Patrick Quayle, United's senior vice president of network planning and alliances, while speaking to an enthusiastic crowd ahead of the flight.

Marrakech is located in central Morocco, about 150 miles south of Casablanca, where most U.S. travelers have typically flown if they're headed to the North African country — the northern tip of which sits mere miles from the southernmost point in Spain.

The city is known for its bustling markets, or souks, inside its historic, walled-off Medina. There's also an up-and-coming, high-end hotel sector that saw the long-awaited opening of a Park Hyatt hotel this summer.

Travelers — and the travel industry — are taking notice; look no further than a Canadian airline's recently added service to Marrakech from Montreal, which this year was a finalist at an aviation event for the illustrious title of "sexiest new airline route."

Morocco is also set to be among multiple countries hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

That increasing allure of Marrakech to U.S. travelers is what landed the city a multiyear spot on Quayle's "shortlist," he revealed in March when United announced it would become America's first airline to serve the destination with regular nonstop service.

Passengers lucky enough to land a spot on UA Flight 628 Thursday evening didn't have to wait for arrival to get a taste of their destination's local cuisine.

Gateside, the airline's catering team served up Moroccan classics, from stuffed grape leaves to spiced lamb meatball sliders, chicken skewers and tea.

There were also plenty of spots to grab a photo or some United gear as keepsakes.

Fifty minutes before departure, after a ribbon-cutting to symbolize the start of the new route, it was time to board.

United is flying its "High J" Boeing 767-300ER on the