United Airlines has just announced that it will carry out one of the biggest launches in its history in Europe. The American carrier is announcing ten new air routes, including four to French-speaking Europe.
Particularly important for France are new United Airlines routes departing from Marseille and Toulouse. The two cities have not benefited from direct flights for nearly 40 years. In 1989, in fact, the late French airline UTA operated flights departing from the French regions for one season at a rate of two to three weekly flights depending on the city of origin. Marseille and Toulouse were part of the venture at that time.
This time, the matter seems more serious. First, it concerns United Airlines, one of the three giants of American air transport. And the flights will be operated with the most profitable aircraft for this type of route departing from the regions: a 150-seat Airbus A321XLR, including 20 business class seats.
The first city to be served will be Toulouse from 26 April 2027, which will benefit from a daily service to Washington Dulles. From 4 June 2027, United will then connect Marseille to Newark, near New York, again with a daily flight until 29 October.
For Marseille, the arrival of United represents a new opening to the American market. In particular, the route will make it possible to reach the New York area directly without a connection and could boost the international appeal of the Provence destination. The route will be added to a series of long-haul flights that Marseille now enjoys, including connections to Addis Ababa, Dakar, Montreal, Quebec City and Shanghai.
Luxembourg will also benefit from a non-stop flight to New York, again a few decades after Icelandair's (connecting) flights to the United States were discontinued. United's flight will start as early as 2 April with a daily frequency using the same type of aircraft.
Paris-Denver on a Boeing 787-9
United will also continue its French expansion with a new route between Denver and Paris-Charles de Gaulle starting on 27 May 2027. The service will operate daily year-round and be flown using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
This route will offer a direct connection between the French capital and Colorado and will effectively compete with the route currently operated as a monopoly by Air France.
Finally, United Airlines has announced that it will also launch scheduled flights to Newark from Ljubljana, Catania, Ibiza, Valencia, Terceira and Olbia; and that it will also connect Milan Malpensa to Washington Dulles for the upcoming summer season.
