United cuts a splashy long-haul route, adds 2 international flights from Denver

United Airlines isn’t afraid to take some gambles with its route network.

Sometimes these splashy new long-haul routes turn into big wins, like the carrier’s nonstop service to Cape Town.

Other routes, however, aren’t as successful.

The latest example is United’s routes from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Tenerife in Spain’s Canary Islands. This 3,344-mile flight first launched as part of a major international expansion in summer 2022, and it’s been operated pretty consistently since then.

But now, the Chicago-based carrier is throwing in the towel on the market.

United cuts Tenerife service

United will cease flying to Tenerife on May 2, as first seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by an airline spokesperson.

Previously, this flight was set to resume for the winter season on a three-times-weekly basis Dec. 19. United has historically deployed a single-aisle Boeing 757-200 aircraft on this route.

This isn’t the first time that United has noticed softness in this market. When it first launched in 2022, United flew the route on a summer-seasonal basis, and it did so again in 2023 and 2024.

However, at the end of the summer 2024 season, United decided to flip the schedule and operate this route during the winter season. At the time, United said the route wasn’t as successful in the summer as originally planned. The airline thought it might perform better in the winter, but that experiment seems to have failed, too.

Even with the cut, United will continue offering more service to Spain than any other U.S. airline, including to Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid, Malaga and Palma de Mallorca.

But at least the airline gets kudos for trying, as no other U.S. airline has given Tenerife service a shot in recent history.

New international flights from Denver

Meanwhile, United is making two exciting additions closer to home at one of its fastest-growing hubs, Denver International Airport (DEN).

The first is to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and the second is to Mexico City. Both routes take off Oct. 26. United plans to operate the routes with its Boeing 737 MAX 8.

These additions come as United has expanded significantly in Denver in recent years. The airline has acquired more gate space at the airport over the past few years and keeps adding more routes from the city in a bid to woo flyers from the other major player in the local market, Southwest Airlines.

Plus, Denver’s strategic positioning in the U.S. helps United funnel even more connections through the city. The good news is that the massively overhauled and expanded B West lounge will open toward the end of the summer.

As for Punta Cana, it’s home to the world’s first all-inclusive W resort.

Scaling back further in Tulum

Elsewhere, United is cutting another route — this time from Chicago to Tulum, Mexico.

U.S. airlines rushed to add new service to Tulum when the brand-new airport there opened to international service just over a year ago.

But many of the new Tulum routes didn’t stick. United’s flight from Chicago is now among the cuts, joining other recent United trims in Tulum, including its service from Los Angeles and (temporarily) from Newark.

United isn’t alone in experiencing weaker-than-expected demand for Tulum. American Airlines stopped flying from Charlotte to Tulum earlier this year, and JetBlue also scrapped service from New York to Tulum.

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