Travelers who want to go abroad in the coming months have some new options. United Airlines is expanding its service to meet high summer demand, flying to more than 110 international cities, the airline said Thursday.
With United’s international bookings 15% higher as of March than at the same time in 2022, the airline has ramped up service and added close to 25 new routes to its summer schedule, according to a news release.
“United will give travelers more options than ever before this summer – especially if they want to fly internationally,” Patrick Quayle, the airline’s senior vice president of global network planning and alliances, said in a news release. “With unprecedented demand for travel overseas, we’ll have more service to popular cities while also adding new and unique destinations for customers to explore.”
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Where will United Airlines fly this summer?
United will offer service to Stockholm, Sweden, for the first time since 2019, starting May 27 from Newark Liberty International Airport. It will also add direct flights between Newark Liberty and Malaga, Spain, beginning May 31, a new destination for the airline.
The airline also recently began daily service between Newark Liberty and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on March 25, according to the release.
United will also offer additional flights to Barcelona, Spain; Rome, Italy; Berlin, Germany; Paris, France; and more. Tickets are now on sale via the airline’s website and mobile app.
International travel demand is up
United’s expansion comes amid an uptick in interest in international trips.
Google Flights recently analyzed search data between Dec. 22 and March 22 to determine the most popular travel destinations between June and August. London, England took the top spot this year, followed by Cancun in Mexico, Paris, Orlando and Rome.
Last summer, Orlando, Cancun, Las Vegas, London and New York scored the top-five spots, proving that Americans are ready to resume international travel.
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How long does it take to get a U.S. passport?
In line with that trend, passport wait times are up.
“Processing times are cyclical and rise and fall based on seasonal demand,” the State Department’s Office of the Spokesperson said in a news release late last month. “However, the volume of applications we have received during periods this year has outpaced records set by last year’s volume by more than 30 percent.”
Travelers can currently expect to wait between 10 and 13 weeks for routine service, and seven to nine weeks for expedited processing.
Contributing: Kathleen Wong, USA TODAY
Nathan Diller is a consumer travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Nashville. You can reach him at ndiller@usatoday.com.
