United’s Latest Route Expansion Includes Far-Flung Locales From Mongolia to Greenland

Travelers have developed an annual tradition: trying to predict where United Airlines will launch new flights for the next year.

This unexpected ritual can be credited to United’s Patrick Quayle, senior vice president of global network planning and alliances, and his team. For the 2025 summer season, however, there’s even more excitement than usual accompanying the announcement of new destinations and schedules.

That’s because United is unveiling its largest international expansion in history, including service to 8 new cities. You probably weren’t expecting several of them.

From Mongolia to Greenland, here’s a closer look at what travelers can expect when flying United abroad in 2025. 

Across the Pacific: Mongolia, Palau, and More

Starting next year, United Airlines will become the only U.S. airline to serve Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, and Kaohsiung, Taiwan. 

However, these flights won’t depart directly from U.S. airports. United is expanding its hub at Tokyo Narita (NRT). Service to these destinations will originate from within Asia. 

Flights from Narita to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (UBN) will begin on May 1, 2025, while flights from Narita to Kaohsiung, Taiwan (KHH) take off on July 11. Both routes will feature a single-aisle Boeing 737. 

“It’s really about creating more one-stop connections to unique destinations,” Quayle said in a media briefing that Upgraded Points attended. “We went through the data and Mongolia connections were typically through Beijing [on other carriers], but since that’s not happening as much anymore, we can have travelers connect in Tokyo.”

Additionally, United will add year-round, nonstop flights between Tokyo Narita and Koror, Palau (ROR). United is the only U.S. airline to serve Palau. Currently, the airline serves Palau with flights from Guam and Manila, Philippines. 

Across the Atlantic: Greenland, Bilbao, and More 

While travelers won’t see any new transpacific service next summer, the Atlantic Ocean tells a different story. Most of the new activity is from United’s Newark (EWR) hub. 

In fact, United will offer 5 destinations from Newark that no other U.S. airline serves: Nuuk, Greenland; Palermo, Italy; Bilbao, Spain; and both Madeira Island and Faro in Portugal. 

“What we’ve found is as we grow our customer base, that savvy traveler who has been to Paris, Rome, and Madrid so many times is looking for something different,” Qualye noted. 

Service from Newark to Greenland’s capital city, Nuuk (GOH) starts on June 14, 2025. Even earlier, United will launch 3 weekly seasonal flights between Newark and Palermo, Italy (PMO) on May 21. Also, nonstop service to Bilbao, Spain (BIO) launches from Newark on May 31. 

In Portugal, service from Newark to Faro (FAO) will start on May 16, flying 4 times weekly. Flights from Newark to Madeira Island (FNC) will have 3 weekly flights that begin on June 7.

Finally, United is heading to a new destination in Africa with a nonstop service from Washington Dulles (IAD) to Dakar, Senegal (DAK). It’s set to commence on May 23. This year-round service will run 3 times per week, building on the airline’s existing service to Cape Town (CPT), Johannesburg (JNB), Accra (ACC), and Lagos (LOS), plus upcoming seasonal service to Marrakesh (RAK). 

Expansion in Central America

United will become the first and only airline to operate flights between the U.S. and Puerto Escondido, Mexico (PXM) in Oaxaca. This service will begin on April 5, operate weekly from Houston (IAH). Flights will use an Embraer 175 craft and will be operated by Mesa Airlines.

United will also add a daily flight from San Francisco (SFO) to San José, Costa Rica (SJO), operated by a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. With this addition, United will now fly to San José from all 7 of its U.S. hubs.

More Flying to Popular Hot Spots

Along with the focus on new destinations, United is also increasing service to some of its existing destinations. It’s also resuming seasonal service even earlier than normal to some locations.

As of May 22, United will begin seasonal flying to Venice (VCE) and Nice (NCE) from Washington Dulles (IAD). 

United will also give customers more time to explore popular destinations by resuming seasonal service earlier than normal. From Newark (EWR), United will resume flights to Athens, Greece (ATH) on March 6; Venice, Italy (VCE) on March 29; and Dubrovnik, Croatia (DBV) on May 1. Even better, flight frequency to Dubrovnik will become a daily affair. The San Francisco (SFO) to Barcelona and Chicago (ORD) to Athens (ATH) routes will also resume on May 1.

Final Thoughts 

Next summer, United will fly its largest-ever transatlantic schedule with more than 760 weekly flights to over 40 destinations. The carrier isn’t just creating excitement with some of these far-flung places; it believes it’s laying the groundwork for travel trends in the following years.

“United now provides some of the most unique, unexpected, and unserved locales around the world, and it’s something that’s become a core part of our brand,” Quayle added.