United Airlines
is one of the world’s biggest airlines in terms of fleet size and number of flights. Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, United has invested significantly in its growth and improving the passenger experience. Currently, the airline has more than 900 planes on order.
In October, United announced its largest-ever international expansion, including flights to Greenland. Patrick Quayle, the senior vice president of Global Network Planning and Alliances at United, said,
“Our network provides the most choice and variety for our customers, whether they are looking for a relaxing seaside getaway, once-in-a-lifetime adventure travel or to explore some of the most vibrant urban escapes across the globe.”
From Newark, United will also launch flights to Palermo, Bilbao, Madeira, and Faro. From Washington (Dulles), United is adding flights to Dakar, Senegal, Nice, and Venice. From Tokyo, flights will be added to Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN), Mongolia, Kaohsiung International Airport (KHH), Taiwan, and Airai Roman Tmetuchl International Airport (ROR), Palau.
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This includes flights from Tokyo-Narita to Mongolia and Taiwan.
Cirium, an aviation analytics firm, shows that United has 135,341 flights this month, both domestically and internationally. Across all of its flights, United has 17,495,751 seats available. The busiest routes in United’s network by seat offering are almost all hub-to-hub.
- Newark – San Francisco
- Denver – Houston
- Newark – Orlando
- Newark – Chicago
- Houston – Chicago
- San Francisco – Chicago
- Newark – Los Angeles
- Chicago – Denver
- Newark – Houston
- Denver – San Francisco
10
Newark – San Francisco
135,164 seats
Based on seats available this month, the flight from Newark Liberty International Airport
(EWR) to San Francisco International Airport
(SFO) is United’s busiest domestic route. According to Cirium, the airline has a total of 135,164 seats in both directions. Three different aircraft types are deployed on the route, and widebodies operate most flights.
Photo: John McAdorey | Shutterstock
The breakdown of aircraft and the number of flights is below:
- Boeing 777-200; 248 flights; 68,448 seats
- Boeing 757-200; 198 flights; 34,848 seats
- Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner; 124 flights; 31,868 seats
United has 10 daily roundtrips on this route for the first six days of the month, with more than 4,600 seats. For the rest of the month, United has nine daily roundtrips.
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9
Denver – Houston
133,804 seats
Most routes on this list are from one United hub to another, and this one is no different. The flight from Denver International Airport
(DEN) to George Bush Intercontinental Airport
(IAH) is 861 miles. This month, United has 633 flights scheduled and 133,804 seats. Four aircraft types are deployed on this route, with more variants:
- Airbus A321neo; 280 flights; 56,000 seats
- Boeing 737-900ER; 182 flights; 32,578 seats
- Boeing 777-200; 74 flights; 26,936 seats
- Boeing 737 MAX 9; 48 flights; 8,592 seats
- Boeing 757-300; 23 flights; 5,382 seats
- Boeing 737-800; 16 flights; 2,656 seats
- Boeing 737 MAX 8; 10 flights; 1,660 seats
Photo: Denver International Airport
The first six days in January have 11 roundtrips and nearly 5,000 daily seats. From January 7 onwards, there are ten daily roundtrips and more than 4,100 seats.
8
Newark – Orlando
129,721 seats
Newark – Orlando is the only route on this list that is not between two United hubs. The route to Orlando International Airport
(MCO) has 744 flights and 129,721 seats available in January. No flights are operated by widebody aircraft.
Photo: Orlando International Airport
The breakdown of planes and number of flights is below:
- Boeing 737-900ER; 335 flights; 59,965 seats
- Boeing 737 MAX 8; 251 flights; 41,666 seats
- Boeing 737 MAX 9; 94 flights; 16,826 seats
- Boeing 757-200; 64 flights; 11,264 seats
The 938-mile route consistently has 12 daily roundtrips in January, but daily seat offering varies as aircraft types change. According to Cirium, United has about 174 seats per departure.
7
Newark – Chicago
122,182 seats
Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) is United’s biggest hub and the airline’s headquarters is located in the city. Data shows that there are 707 flights in January and 122,182 seats. This is one of the few hub-to-hub routes with no widebody service in January.
Photo: MKPhoto12 | Shutterstock
Cirium shows that both Boeing and Airbus narrowbodies are deployed on the route. The breakdown is available below:
- Boeing 737-900ER; 289 flights; 51,731 seats
- Boeing 737 MAX 8; 223 flights; 37,018 seats
- Boeing 757-200; 102 flights; 17,952 seats
- Boeing 737 MAX 9; 71 flights; 12,709 seats
- Airbus A319; 22 flights; 2,772 seats
The number of daily roundtrips on the 719-mile route varies between nine and 12. From January 19th, every day has 12 daily roundtrips, with more than 4,000 seats available.
6
Houston – Chicago
119,338 seats
When United introduced the Airbus A321 in November 2023,
the first flight was from Houston to Chicago
. Today, the A321neo is the most-used aircraft type on the route. Data shows there are 612 flights in January and 119,338 available seats.
Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying
Narrowbodies operate most flights on this route, but there are a few flights on the 777-200 with the domestic configuration. The breakdown is below:
- Airbus A321neo; 222 flights; 44,400 seats
- Boeing 737-900ER; 216 flights; 38,664 seats
- Boeing 737 MAX 9; 54 flights; 9,666 seats
- Boeing 757-300; 50 flights; 11,700 seats
- Boeing 737-800; 34 flights; 5,644 seats
- Boeing 777-200; 16 flights; 5,824 seats
- Boeing 757-200; 12 flights; 2,112 seats
- Boeing 737 MAX 8; 8 flights; 1,328 seats
5
San Francisco – Chicago
119,052 seats
SFO is one of two United hubs in California and is the airline’s most important gateway to Asia and the Pacific. In January, 508 flights are scheduled from Chicago to San Francisco, totaling 119,052 seats. The A321neo is the most-used plane on this route, but there are also a significant number of 777-200 flights.
Photo: Sundry Photography | Shutterstock
A breakdown of all aircraft used on this route is available below:
- Airbus A321neo; 214 flights; 42,800 seats
- Boeing 777-200; 100 flights; 36,400 seats
- Boeing 757-300; 74 flights; 17,316 seats
- Boeing 737 MAX 9; 46 flights; 8,234 seats
- Boeing 737 MAX 8; 32 flights; 5,312 seats
- Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner; 23 flights; 5,589 seats
- Boeing 737-900ER; 19 flights; 3,401 seats
The first few days of the month have about 11 roundtrips, and operations decrease slightly after the 6th. From January 7th, there are between seven and eight daily roundtrips.
4
Newark – Los Angeles
116,263 seats
Overall, the Los Angeles – New York (area) city pair is one of the busiest in the country. Several airlines fly between the two, offering their premium products and deploying widebody aircraft. United flies from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Newark, and not John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) like several airlines.
Photo: Chizhevskaya Ekaterina | Shutterstock
Data shows United has 502 flights scheduled between LAX and EWR, and more than 116,000 seats. The most-used plane on the route is the Boeing 757-200. A full breakdown of all the planes used on this route is available below:
- Boeing 757-200; 286 flights; 50,336 seats
- Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner; 167 flights; 53,106 seats
- Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner; 37 flights; 9,509 seats
- Boeing 777-200; 12 flights; 3,312 seats
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3
Chicago – Denver
114,943 seats
United is the biggest airline in both Chicago and Denver. According to Cirium, there are 521 flights scheduled from Chicago O’Hare and Denver, totaling 114,943 seats. The 777-200 is the only widebody used on this route which is dominated by narrowbody service.
Photo: Framalicious | Shutterstock
The breakdown of aircraft, number of flights, and seats is as follows:
- Boeing 757-300; 228 flights; 53,352 seats
- Boeing 737-900ER; 101 flights; 18,079 seats
- Airbus A321neo; 86 flights; 17,200 seats
- Boeing 737 MAX 9; 46 flights; 8,234 seats
- Boeing 777-200; 41 flights; 14,924 seats
- Boeing 737-800; 11 flights; 1,826 seats
- Boeing 737 MAX 8; 8 flights; 1,328 seats
2
Newark – Houston
113,431 seats
Newark and Houston were both Continental Airlines hubs before the airline merged with United Airlines. Today, both are crucial to United’s operations. Newark is the airline’s biggest European gateway, while Houston is the biggest to Latin America and the Caribbean.
Photo: EQRoy | Shutterstock
Cirium shows there are 622 flights scheduled between the two cities in January. More than 113,000 seats are available. The 737-900ER dominates the route but also has some widebody flights. A breakdown is available below:
- Boeing 737-900ER; 204 flights; 36,516 seats
- Boeing 737 MAX 8; 135 flights; 22,410 seats
- Boeing 757-200; 130 flights; 22,880 seats
- Boeing 737 MAX 9; 79 flights; 14,141 seats
- Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner; 60 flights; 15,420 seats
- Airbus A319; 9 flights; 1,134 seats
- Boeing 737-700; 3 flights; 378 seats
- Boeing 777-200; 2 flights; 552 seats
1
Denver – San Francisco
111,429 seats
The flight from Denver to San Francisco is less than 1,000 miles and is an all-Boeing route for United this month. Only 12 of 604 flights are operated by widebodies; the rest are on 737 and 757 aircraft. Cirium shows there are 111,429 seats available.
Photo: Denver International Airport
The breakdown of aircraft types and seats is as follows:
- Boeing 737-800; 199 flights; 33,034 seats
- Boeing 757-200; 119 flights; 20,944 seats
- Boeing 737-900ER; 113 flights; 20,227 seats
- Boeing 757-300; 76 flights; 17,784 seats
- Boeing 737 MAX 9; 74 flights; 17,784 seats
- Boeing 777-200; 12 flights; 4,368 seats
- Boeing 737 MAX 8; 11 flights; 1,826 seats