United Airlines
is one of the most dynamic carriers in the market today, and the airline’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is one of the best examples of how this carrier has overcome adversity. When coronavirus shut down businesses, schools, and anything else deemed non-essential, the global aviation industry came grinding to a halt, with passenger demand cratering and airlines reducing their operational network to a shadow of what they once were.
This kind of market shock significantly altered the global aviation industry in ways that one could never have previously imagined. For starters, airlines had to address the fact that business travel would likely never look the same way as it had before. Carriers like United, which are classified as full-service network carriers, have historically derived a significant portion of their revenue from business travelers. Travelers post-COVID flew significantly less frequently than before, with most workers working remotely and not working from the office becoming a key part of corporate culture.
Photo: Ronen Fefer | Shutterstock
Not only did carriers have to cope with the fact that they would have significantly fewer high-spending business travelers, but they also needed to address the needs of a consumer base that had shifted significantly as a result of the pandemic. People now go on weekend trips significantly more often, because remote work days allow people the flexibility to “soft vacation” and spend some extra time at their destination. Furthermore, demand for premium travel has skyrocketed, amid an increased passenger focus on experience and comfort.

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Lastly, and possibly most importantly, passengers have become more interested than ever before in off-the-grid destinations. During the pandemic, the rise of social media has helped create a culture around seeking out one-of-a-kind experiences, pushing passengers to seek out new kinds of destinations. Airlines since 2020 have shifted their route networks significantly, to account for multiple kinds of shifting demand dynamics.
Having achieved impressive financial success in the past three years, United Airlines has demonstrated its impressive ability to rebound from the pandemic and plan new initiatives for 2025. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the carrier’s newest route additions, and examine why these services would never have been considered before COVID changed the commercial aviation industry for good.
1
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Bilbao Airport (BIO)
This new seasonal nonstop route is set to launch later this year
Reasons why this flight would never have existed before COVID-19:
- Less demand for off-the-beaten-path travel destinations
- The Euro’s relative strength before the pandemic would have weakened demand for this low-demand destination
United’s new nonstop service from Newark to Bilbao is an excellent example of the kind of flight the carrier has introduced in response to higher summer travel demand to medium-demand destinations. Using lower-capacity aircraft like the Boeing 757 and Boeing 787, the airline can fly to transatlantic destinations without worrying about achieving the highest load factors, something that enables the carrier to operate these services in lower-demand markets.
Photo: Michael Gordon | Shutterstock
Another factor that may have contributed to United’s ability to serve lower-demand European destinations was the sharp decline in the Euro’s value against the US dollar, as the relative strength of the American currency incentivizes more Americans to travel to Europe. Secondary markets with lower levels of tourism, such as Bilbao, will be those where Americans find that their dollars go the farthest, and where demand will only continue to rise.

Newark Liberty International Airport
- IATA/ICAO Code
-
EWR/KEWR
- Country
-
United States
- CEO
-
James Gill
- Terminals
-
Terminal A |
Terminal B |
Terminal C
2
Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT) to Chinggis Khan International Airport (UBN) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
This new route is set to launch on May 1st
Reasons why this flight would never have existed before COVID-19:
- Not enough demand would exist to fly to Mongolia
- Relations with China will not have deteriorated to the point that US travelers would think twice about a Chinese layover
When United Airlines announced that it would begin flying from Tokyo to Ulaanbaatar, it undoubtedly raised quite a few eyebrows. For starters, the Mongolian capital is a rather fascinating choice of destination for a US airline, as the little travel demand that did exist between the US and Mongolia typically was willing to stop in either Beijing or Shanghai along the way.
However, the rise of social media has led some off-the-grid destinations like Mongolia to become extremely popular, especially as a result of the nation’s natural beauty. Furthermore, with relations between the United States and China deteriorating over the past few years, it is unsurprising that many passengers have chosen to avoid a layover in Shanghai or Beijing. As a result, United has decided to roll the dice on this route, which it can conveniently serve with a Boeing 737 as a fifth-freedom service originating at Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport (GUM) in Guam, according to One Mile At A Time.

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3
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Nuuk International Airport (GOH) in Greenland
A destination few would even have thought to travel to
Reasons why this flight would never have existed before COVID-19:
- Almost no travel demand for flights to Greenland
- Potentially Donald Trump’s continued interest in a US purchase of Greenland
Photo: Minh K Tran | Shutterstock
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, few would have imagined that United Airlines would launch nonstop flights to Greenland. Nonetheless, the carrier chose to do so, amid increased travel demand to and from Greenland. The airline has also attempted to market the uniqueness of its destinations, using its social media accounts to create a buzz of excitement around the new flights that it is launching, and this connection between Nuuk and Newark was no exception.
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4
Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Kahului International Airport (OGG) on the island of Maui
This nonstop flight demonstrates how Hawaii’s travel market has changed post-COVID
Reasons why this flight would never have existed before COVID-19:
- A lack of demand for a secondary destination beyond Honolulu
- There is a growing motivation to utilize widebody aircraft for domestic routes
Photo: Angel DiBilio | Shutterstock
In the years following the pandemic, not only did passengers have more of an ability to take vacations, but they also began to seek out more experience-oriented vacations. Travelers were looking to visit destinations that were not as popularized or commercialized, making the island of Maui an increasingly popular vacation destination. Even from United’s Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), the farthest in its network from Hawaii, the airline has still been able to consistently fill a widebody aircraft on flights to Maui.

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5
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Christchurch Airport (CHC) in New Zealand
This nonstop flight again demonstrates United’s response to shifting travel preferences
Reasons why this flight would never have existed before COVID-19:
- A lack of demand for service to New Zealand’s South Island
The airline has offered nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport, United’s primary transpacific gateway, to Auckland, New Zealand’s capital city, since 2016, as per reports from Australian Aviation. Only in 2023, however, did the airline decide that it would launch new flights to the city of Christchurch on New Zealand’s South Island.
Photo: Craig Russell | Shutterstock
While many visitors will fly into the North Island, visiting the South Island typically involves taking another flight or a ferry, something that is often inefficient and inconvenient for travelers from the United States. In the years following the pandemic, demand for travel to and from the South Island has increased to the point that United has decided to launch these new nonstop flights.