United adds Newark–Split and Bari

United is making a very specific bet on Europe — not London or Paris again, but summer leisure cities people usually reach with a connection. The airline has opened sales for nonstop Newark flights to Split in Croatia and Bari in southern Italy for summer 2026, alongside new Newark service to Glasgow and Santiago de Compostela. Basically, United is using Newark as a launchpad for places that are popular, seasonal, and still under-served from the U.S. That matters because these routes are harder to fill year-round, but they can be very attractive in peak summer. ### What exactly is new here? The headline routes are Newark–Split and Newark–Bari. Split is a first-ever nonstop for United from the New York area, and Bari is being pitched as the only nonstop service by any airline from Newark/New York. United announced the broader summer 2026 expansion on April 28, 2026, and folded the two cities into its seasonal Atlantic buildout rather than treating them as one-off experiments. (united.mediaroom.com) ### Why those two cities? Because they sit in two of Europe’s strongest summer-demand zones. Split is the gateway to Croatia’s Dalmatian coast and the islands off it. Bari does the same job for Puglia — the heel of Italy, where a lot of U.S. travelers now want beach towns, food destinations, and smaller cities instead of the classic Rome-Florence-Venice loop. United is chasing that “fly nonstop, skip the connection, start vacation faster” logic. (united.mediaroom.com) ### Why does Newark matter so much? Newark is the machine that makes this possible. United already has a huge long-haul operation there, so it can feed these flights with local New York-area demand plus connecting passengers from across the U.S. That network effect is the whole trick — a route like Bari probably looks thin if you only count people starting in northern New Jersey, but much stronger once you add feed from dozens of domestic cities. (united.mediaroom.com) ### Is this just two routes? No — it’s part of a bigger summer 2026 pattern. United says it will fly to 37 transatlantic destinations in summer 2026 and operate nearly 770 weekly transatlantic roundtrips, with 14 destinations that no other U.S. carrier serves. The airline is also bringing back several newer seasonal routes from 2025 and adding frequencies in markets like Seoul and Reykjavik. So Split and Bari are best read as part of a wider network strategy, not a random add. (united.mediaroom.com) ### What about Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale? That’s a separate move, but it points in the same direction — United is still willing to add leisure-heavy flying where it sees an opening. Independent route trackers and booking pages show LAX–FLL launching on October 25, 2026, initially five times weekly, with service expected to ramp up in December. Different region, same idea: more nonstop options in markets where travelers value convenience over a connection. (united.mediaroom.com) ### What’s the catch? Seasonal Europe routes look great in July and a lot shakier in shoulder months. That means United has to time aircraft, crews, and pricing carefully. The airline can make these routes work because summer transatlantic demand is strong and because Newark gives it a deep pool of connecting traffic — but this is still a summer play, not proof that every secondary European city can support year-round U.S. nonstop service. (simpleflying.com) ### Why should travelers care? Because nonstop service changes the map. Split and Bari stop being “one more connection after the overnight flight” and start becoming realistic first-stop itineraries for U.S. travelers. That usually means shorter total travel time, fewer missed connections, and a better shot at spreading tourism beyond Europe’s most crowded hubs. (united.mediaroom.com) ### Bottom line? United isn’t just adding flights. It’s trying to own the niche between giant hub-to-hub routes and boutique seasonal flying. Split and Bari fit that strategy almost perfectly — sunny, high-demand, hard-to-reach nonstop, and tailor-made for a Newark connection bank. (united.mediaroom.com)