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Aerospace & Defense United Airlines Flaunts Its Global Lead And Its New Airbus A321XLR By Ted Reed ,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Charlotte-based reporter Ted Reed covers airlines and airline labor. Follow Author Aug 25, 2026, 07:00am EDT Aug 25, 2026, 08:04am EDT --:-- / --:-- This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . Summary United Airlines unveiled an ambitious summer schedule, introducing ten new European cities as well as Denver-Paris and San Francisco-Okinawa. The airline will debut its Airbus A321XLR on select domestic routes in September. Newark expansion includes seasonal service to eight lesser-known European destinations like Marseille, Ibiza, and Ljubljana.
United Airlines on Tuesday got a jump on announcing its summer schedule, saying it will fly from Newark to eight new European cities, add five additional international hub flights and preview its newest aircraft, the Airbus A321XLR, next month.
So far, United has had success opening second tier European cities, so that is continuing. Also, Denver International, now the fourth busiest U.S. airport with 82 million passengers in 2025, will get non-stop year-round Boeing 787 Paris service on May 27 th .
Also, United will debut its new Airbus A321XLR on select domestic flights September. The first international flights will be Dulles to Amsterdam and Dublin on Dec. 1. Tickets go on sale this Thursday.
On a call with reporters on Monday, Patrick Quayle, United Senior Vice President of Global Network Planning and Alliances, emphasized that United leads its two principal competitors, American and Delta, in international reach.
That apparently has given United the confidence to offer seasonal service to eight lesser-known European cities including Marseille and Luxembourg as well as Ibiza and Valencia, Spain; Terceira, Portugal; Ljubljana, Slovenia, and Olbia and Sicily on Italian islands. All will get seasonal service, with some starting in March.
Quayle said none of the cities United added last year have been dropped. These include Split, Croatia; Bari, Italy; Glasgow, Scotland; and Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Asked whether the overheated summer in Europe has had any impact on United transatlantic, Quayle said that it has not and that “demand is incredibly strong.” He noted, however, that in most markets United has “more and more markets where you can extend the season,” which is “going well into October or November.”
As for the A321XLR, Quayle said that flying a narrow body aircraft across the Atlantic is now accepted. “We have a brand-new aircraft with lie flat seats that are different than what’s on the market today,” he said. United’s XLR will also have three economy products, including “middle seat open,” he said. American already operates the aircraft on select domestic and transatlantic flights.
On the call, Quayle started out saying the “chance to show just how far we can push United’s international network.” The carrier has added 58 international destinations since 2017 and now has more than 160. It has “more flights, more seats, more destinations across both the Atlantic and Pacific than any other airline,” he said. Ten new cities are the most it has ever announced at one time, he said.
Regarding new permanent hub routes besides Denver-Paris, San Francisco will get thrice weekly Boeing 777 Okinawa service starting March 27 th, while Washington Dulles will get daily non-stop to Toulouse, France, the headquarters for Airbus; thrice weekly to Milan and year-round A321XLR service to Luxembourg.
Milan “Is the largest unserved market for Dulles that did not have air service,” Quayle said. He noted, however, that Dulles-Senegal service, which started in Marcy 2025, “did not perform per expectations” and has been cancelled, with no expectation that it will be restarted.
Some of the eight new seasonal Newark destinations will be on Boeing 767s and some on the new A321XLRs. Also, Boeing 787 San Francisco-Tel Aviv will resume on March 28.
United is not starting any flights to Scandinavia, Quayle said, because “going north of Lufthansa hubs has been a challenge for us, neither Bergen nor Stockholm worked.”
Regarding the immense amount of speculation regarding where United would fly next summer, Quayle said he has a policy to delay telling CEO Scott Kirby about new destinations. “I only tell Scott like a day or two before for the very reason that he talks to all of you,” Quayle said.
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