United Airlines announced they’ll be launching service to three new international destinations later this year. Dubrovnik, Croatia will receive service from Newark Liberty International Airport; Athens, Greece will receive service from Washington Dulles International Airport; Reykjavik, Iceland will be launching from Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

All these routes are a direct result of a shift in business to leisure travel due to the pandemic, and United is realigning it’s international routes accordingly.

Per United,

Croatia: United plans to add the only nonstop service between the U.S. and Croatia on July 8, with service to Dubrovnik on Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast. The airline will operate three weekly flights between Newark and Dubrovnik through October 3 on a Boeing 767-300ER with 30 United Polaris business class seats. 

Flights will operate Monday, Thursday, and Saturday from Newark and on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday from Dubrovnik and will be timed to connect in Newark to over 65 cities in North America. 

Greece: United will expand its service to Athens with daily flights from Washington Dulles beginning July 1 and operating through October 3. This new route marks the first time daily nonstop flights have been available between Washington D.C. and Athens.

The schedule is timed for connections in Washington Dulles to over 95 cities in North America and will be operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with all-aisle-access Polaris business and United Premium Plus seats. This builds on United’s existing daily summer service to Athens from Newark Liberty International Airport, which resumes on June 3.

Iceland: United is expanding its service to Iceland with the first U.S. carrier service from Chicago to Reykjavik, beginning July 1 and running daily through October 3. The schedule is timed for connections in Chicago O’Hare to over 100 cities in North America and will be operated by a Boeing 757-200 with 16 lie flat business class seats in the Polaris cabin.

This new service builds upon United’s existing service to Reykjavik from Newark, with daily flights resuming June 3 and operating through October 29.

It’s excited to see service being added on international routes this summer. Croatia will be a great addition for United as well as adding new routes to Greece and Iceland, both due to a shift in international travel to more leisure destinations.

I’m optimistic about the return of international travel, and it seems like United is as well. I suspect we’ll new European routes offered by the other major US airlines in the coming weeks.

What are your thoughts on United’s newest routes? Feel free to share in the comments below.