United Airlines adds 2027 flights spanning Sardinia to Okinawa. Here's what it says about travel today

United Airlines said Tuesday it's planning to add a host of new international destinations next year that span Ljubljana, Slovenia, to Okinawa, Japan, continuing its so-far profitable bet that consumers will keep spending big to try new destinations abroad.

United already offers more international service than other U.S. airlines and is selling destinations well beyond major tourist draws like Tokyo and Rome to capitalize on changing traveler tastes and grow profits, even as costs soar.

"They want to get away from the overcrowded, large European cities," said Patrick Quayle, United's senior vice president, who heads the carrier's global network planning and alliances.

Airbus is based in Toulouse, and its U.S. office is in Herndon, Virginia, so that route — naturally, on an Airbus — targets the aircraft manufacturer and other aerospace business travel. Meanwhile, Amazon 's European headquarters is in Luxembourg, while its second U.S. headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia.

United said it has added 49 new destinations since 2021 with its push and that it is the only U.S. airline to fly nonstop to 32 of those locations.

Quayle said United is trying to be a "one-stop shop" for customers at all stages of life "whether you're backpacking in college, you're going to and from Paris, whether you're in your 20s and you're going to a nightclub in Ibiza ... a business trip ... or a vacation or honeymoon in Sardinia."

He said United has noticed customers are taking more so-called open-jaw flights where they fly into one city and out of another — think into Rome and out of Bari on Italy's Adriatic coast without having to backtrack to a major city — so having multiple destinations in countries like Portugal, Italy, Spain and France could grab consumers' attention.

Quayle added that the carrier isn't dropping any of its existing routes to make room for the new ones.

United is the second-most profitable U.S. airline after Delta Air Lines , though Delta has fewer international destinations.

Delta's president, Peter Carter, told CNBC in June that the airline wants to fight United's dominance, especially for trans-Pacific flights . The airline this summer announced new service to Tokyo-Narita International Airport, as well as Manila in the Philippines, while launching its previously announced Los Angeles-Hong Kong route in June.

Other adds from United include nonstop service from Los Angeles International Airport to foodie paradise Osaka, Japan, which it already serves from its San Francisco hub. The airline is also adding flights from Denver to Paris and will restart service from San Francisco to Tel Aviv, Israel.

It also said earlier this year that it plans to launch flights from San Francisco to Sapporo, Japan, a high-end ski destination, in December.

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