United has announced that it is to undertake the largest international expansion in its history, with a focus on unique destinations.
Whilst American Airlines and Delta have added new direct routes to destinations like Paris, Milan, Rome, Madrid, Barcelona and Dublin. The bet is that Americans continue to love international travel and still like the same old traditional, reliable destinations in Europe. American noted it is the top carrier to Greece and Spain: Delta said it is the top carrier to Italy.
Then we have United. United said Thursday that it plans the largest international expansion in its history, and it has a focus on unique destinations. Its summer 2025 schedule includes service to eight new cities: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Nuuk, Greenland; Palermo, Italy; Bilbao, Spain; Madeira Island, Portugal; Faro, Portugal and Dakar, Senegal.
“The savvy traveler has been to Paris and Madrid so many times that they are looking for more unique content,” said Patrick Quayle, United senior vice president for global network planning and alliances. “These are unique destinations that are undiscovered gems.”
He also said that United has analyzed credit card trends and other indicators of potential new destinations. He referred to a saying, “You skate to where the puck is going, not to where the puck has been.”
United's strategy chimes with Hilton’s Annual Trends Report, which surveyed 13,000 adults from 13 different countries who plan to travel within the next year. Amongst its conclusions was that a big focus will be on “immersing oneself into a destination for an extended time as a local to fully experience the culture”. In other words, it’s about stepping outside one’s routine. And if it can be done in what Hilton calls “secondary” locations like Sardinia and Bodrum, all the better.