United Airlines is building on plans to operate a record transatlantic schedule during the summer 2024 season with the confirmation of another new European route.
Reservations have opened for nonstop flights connecting San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Barcelona El Prat Airport (BCN) from next May, becoming the Star Alliance member’s fourth service to the Spanish city planned for next summer.
The airline’s booking system shows that daily flights will begin on May 23, 2024, utilizing Boeing 777-200ER aircraft. The outbound flight has a block time of 11 hr. 30 min., while the return leg is scheduled to take 12 hr. 5 min.
The 5,954-mi. (5,174-nm) route will become the second new seasonal service to Barcelona launched by United within the space of 12 months following the inauguration of flights from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) in May this year.
The move means the carrier will serve BCN seasonally from both SFO and ORD during summer 2024 alongside its year-round operations from New York’s Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).
United’s entry to the SFO-BCN market will provide competition for International Airlines Group’s Barcelona-based LCC LEVEL, which is scheduled to resume a seasonal 4X-weekly service in late March using Airbus A330-200s.
LEVEL initially launched the route in October 2018 and operated flights without competition until Norwegian commenced operations between the airports a year later. However, Norwegian suspended flights at the onset of the pandemic and subsequently exited all long-haul flying.
United’s latest transatlantic addition comes fewer than two months after the airline announced new seasonal service between EWR and Faro Airport in Portugal. The route will kick off on May 24, with four roundtrips per week.
Further European expansion includes the resumption of seasonal flights between EWR and Reykjavik, Iceland, a route that was last flown in summer 2022, but which was dropped for summer 2023. United will also add a second daily frequency between EWR and Brussels Airport starting March 30, with a 757-200, as well as a second daily frequency between IAD and Rome Fiumicino Airport commencing May 23 using a 767-300.
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