United adds direct routes

United Airlines plans to add four new nonstop transatlantic routes in summer 2026, all from Newark Liberty to smaller European cities. (united.com) The airline said on October 9, 2025, that it will start flights to Split, Croatia, on April 30, 2026; Bari, Italy, on May 1; Glasgow, Scotland, on May 8; and Santiago de Compostela, Spain, on May 22. United said it will be the only U.S. airline flying those routes nonstop. (united.com) All four routes are tied to Newark/New York, one of United’s biggest international hubs, and the carrier is also adding Washington Dulles–Reykjavik and expanding service to Seoul and Tel Aviv in the same summer schedule. (prnewswire.com) The new map says as much about airline strategy as geography. United is putting more long-haul seats into secondary leisure cities that draw summer demand but have had few or no nonstop links to the United States. (cnbc.com) That push comes as summer travel planning is getting harder to price. USA Today reported on April 16, 2026, that airlines and industry analysts were warning of jet-fuel shortages and a tougher summer booking environment as fuel supply uncertainty rippled through schedules. (usatoday.com) For travelers, nonstop service can cut connection risk at the exact moment schedule changes are more costly. A missed connection in Frankfurt or London is a different problem than boarding once in Newark and landing in Split. (usatoday.com) United has been building this play for several summers, using its transatlantic network to reach places larger rivals often skip. The 2026 additions extend that approach deeper into Croatia, southern Italy, northern Britain and northwest Spain. (united.com) The timeline now is straightforward: the routes were announced in October 2025, the first flights begin in late April 2026, and the test will come when summer demand meets higher operating costs. (united.com)