Summer vacations may be coming to a close, but the winter and holiday travel season is just heating up.
United Airlines recently expanded its winter schedule complete with additional frequencies of popular routes along with brand new flights between Newark and both South Carolina and Tennessee, according to the airline. In total, United will add flights to 15 different cities.
Starting Jan. 6, 2026, United will fly between Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and both Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Columbia, South Carolina, offering travelers in the Southeast more choice.
The airline will also increase the frequency of some of its most popular routes. Also starting Jan. 6, United will add an additional daily roundtrip flight from its Houston hub to Atlanta, Baltimore, Orlando, Las Vegas, Miami, and New Orleans. From its hub in Chicago, the carrier will similarly add one extra roundtrip flight to Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, New Orleans, and Orlando.
On the East Coast, United will add a daily roundtrip flight between Newark and both Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, while West Coast travelers will see an additional daily roundtrip flight between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
United is also planning to expand internationally this winter with three new weekly flights from Houston to Guatemala City in Guatemala and to San Salvador in El Salvador. In addition, the airline will plan to operate one new weekly flight from Houston to San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Amid the new routes, United noted the competitive landscape of the air industry in the United States and the financial challenges facing low-cost carriers. Last week, Spirit Airlines announced it would enter Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, marking the latest development in what has been a long road for the carrier.
“If Spirit suddenly goes out of business it will be incredibly disruptive, so we’re adding these flights to give their customers other options if they want or need them,” Patrick Quayle, United’s vice president of global network planning and alliances, said in a statement shared with Travel + Leisure.
These aren’t United’s only new routes. In fact, the airline plans to launch several in the fall and winter, including new service to Bangkok, Thailand, as well as to Adelaide, Australia; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Manila, Philippines.
The news also comes on the heels of United’s decision to link loyalty programs with JetBlue, creating a new partnership dubbed “Blue Sky.” The move will allow travelers to reap reciprocal loyalty and award benefits and allow the airlines to share competitive gate space at popular airports.
