United Airlines, hoping to get travelers thinking about next year’s vacations as the end of summer vacation season looms, announced several new international flights on Thursday.
The new service includes United’s first flights to Nice, France; Palermo, Italy; and Curacao, a Caribbean island popular with winter vacationers. All three will be offered from United’s hub in Newark, New Jersey.
United is also adding its first flights between its hub at Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Zurich, Switzerland, it’s seventh year-round European destination from Chicago. The airline already offers Zurich flights from other cities.
The other flight additions are additional daily flights or a switch from seasonal to year-round service on a handful of international flights from Newark, Denver and San Francisco. Tickets are on sale Thursday.
Patrick Quayle, United’s vice president of international network, said the latest additions are part of United’s focus on international business and leisure markets over the past 2 ½ years, with the addition of 26 new markets.
In a play for premium travelers, three of the new destinations, Newark to Nice and Palermo, and Chicago-Zurich, will be served by United’s swank 767 300ER, a widebody jet with fewer seats than its traditional 767s, including a bunch in Polaris business class and premium economy. United’s new 767s have 167 seats versus 214 traditionally.
“The aircraft really has good segmentation in the sense that it’s a business (travel) heavy aircraft focused on business traffic and premium leisure traffic, giving people more choice there,” Quayle said.