Achi news desk-
The airline connects Edinburgh passengers with New York Newark, its first route, Washington DC, in its longest season this year, and Chicago O’Hare airports, and is the only carrier to offer a year-round service from the city to the United States.
United has been targeting steady growth with annual seat capacity increasing by 34% over five years, and over 42% over ten years.
Karolien De Hertogh, United Airlines sales director for the UK and Ireland, said: “We’re celebrating our 20th anniversary this year, which is great news, we’re very proud of it, and it underlines our commitment to the Scottish market.
“When that happens we will be offering more seats between Edinburgh and the USA than all other US airlines combined.”
READ MORE: Scottish airport to launch new long-haul routes
He said the routes also offer greater connectivity from the Americas, while this year will be United’s “biggest ever” summer to Europe from the US.
“What’s also important to the Scottish market for business and leisure travelers is the connectivity we then provide on a network beyond our gateways, because New York Newark, Chicago and Washington are key gateways to United Airlines, and then that’s the future. connections, so from New York we offer almost 160 destinations, Chicago there are over 150 and from Washington Dulles it is 103 destinations from those airports,” said Ms De Hertogh.
He also pointed to the future where 800 aircraft are about to be delivered between now and 2032 as a key component.
“That’s relevant to Scotland because for these onward connections they will get a bigger aircraft, which is going to give more availability, which usually also then means more price points are available because that there are only more seats to sell and I think so. is a very attractive proposition for the Scottish market.”
Ms De Hertogh said that the company will offer “daily 64 premium seats and 612 seats in economy, so that’s a lot of seats to sell, almost 700 in total that we will sell “.
READ MORE: New flight routes and holiday destinations from Scottish airports for 2024/2025
He added: “We will have the flat bed seats at the front of the plane, Polaris, and then we have the economy class cabin, 153 seats per flight but a third of those economy class seats will have the extra legroom that by United. is called economy plus, and is an economy class seat but with the extra leg room.
“We know from experience and from feedback we’ve received from our customers that people really appreciate that extra comfort.”
Asked about potential growth through other Scottish airports, she said: “At the moment what we are doing is gradually expanding, so we are building on our success. We are the only service through year-round. We added the second daily service to New York Newark. last summer and for Washington we’re expanding the season, and that’s largely how we build the schedule, but of course we flexible and continue to assess any other opportunities that may arise.”
United will continue to monitor demand and “be nimble and strategic as we develop our network to meet our customers’ travel needs”.
READ MORE: United Airlines launches extra Scotland to US flights from Edinburgh
Other positive moves have included the launch of a second daily flight in the summer of 2023 between Edinburgh and New York Newark, which will operate again this year between May 23 and September 24.
- The average business/leisure passenger split on United services from Edinburgh is 6% business to 94% leisure. The order origin split is approximately 75% US and 25% UK
United launched Edinburgh to Washington DC in 2018, and in 2024 will operate this route for its “longest season ever”, operating between March and October, against early May the previous year.
The company claims they are the largest airline in the world “by available seat miles” while it is “committed to net zero by 2050 without relying on traditional offsets”.
Ms De Hertogh also said: “One key area is developing sustainable aviation fuel production. As a company we invest in new companies and we become minority stakeholders in new businesses and then when you see a technology or product that works then you’ n hope to increase that.
“Sustainable aviation fuel is what is going to make the biggest difference between now and 2050.”
Regarding recent safety concerns, including when a United-operated Boeing lost a tire during takeoff in the United States, Sasha Johnson, vice president, corporate safety, at United Airlines, said in a statement: “We have a strong safety culture. , the number of security-related incidents in recent weeks has quite rightly caused us to pause and evaluate whether there is anything we can and should be doing differently.
“Over the next few weeks, we will begin to see more FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) presence in our operation as they begin to review some of our work processes, manuals and facilities. At United, we will always be open to ways we can further strengthen what we do for safety.”
