United Airlines announces four new transatlantic destinations for summer 2026

Glasgow was previously served by United until 2019 but returns next year using the Boeing 737 MAX 8. Santiago de Compostela marks a new addition from the U.S., offering travelers access to Spain’s Galicia region.

United is also adding new routes from Washington D.C. to Reykjavik, Iceland (seasonal daily service), and Newark to Seoul, South Korea (year-round daily service). The route between Washington D.C. and Reykjavik complements existing services from Chicago and Newark and will compete directly with Icelandair.

On the transpacific front, the Newark-Seoul route builds on United’s current offerings from San Francisco and positions it as the only U.S. airline flying nonstop from the Northeast to Seoul. Other American carriers serve Seoul from different hubs across the country.

In Israel, United plans to introduce a third frequency between Newark and Tel Aviv beginning March 28, 2026. This additional flight operates four times per week on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Flights from Chicago and Dulles to Tel Aviv are set to resume in November at reduced frequencies compared to previous years.

Patrick Quayle, United’s network chief, addressed questions about future fleet deployment: "Even if I had the A321XLR today, I would not fly the XLR to any of those routes that we're flying the MAX 8 on. I view the MAX 8 as one unique asset, and I view the XLR as another unique asset," he explained. He added: "The XLR is going to go in and replace the Boeing 757-200. And it's also going to do incremental new things."

All nine of United’s recently launched destinations—including Mongolia and Greenland—will return for summer 2026 operations on similar schedules or earlier start dates than before.

United continues its strategy of serving smaller markets with direct connections rather than increasing capacity on already well-served European routes.

With this announcement, United further distinguishes itself by serving international destinations that are not covered by other major U.S airlines.