Generally speaking, airlines earn the most money in the third quarter of the year, running between July and September. That is because demand and fares are usually at their highest. In Q3 2026, United Airlines will fly nine aircraft types/variants across the Atlantic: the Boeing 737 MAX 8, 757-200, 767-300ER, 767-400ER, 777-200ER, 777-300ER, 787-8, 787-9, and 787-10. It is unclear when the Airbus A321XLR will be used.

In Q3, the Star Alliance member plans an average of 2.9 daily transatlantic departures on the Boeing 737 MAX 8. The narrowbody’s activity has jumped from 1.5 daily departures in the same period last year. That’s a substantial rise of 89% year-over-year, albeit from a very small base.

United’s Transatlantic 737 MAX Routes In Q3 2026

Credit: GCMap

Notice that the map and following table include the Greenland capital of Nuuk, which only had a 51% load factor last year. Some may not like this city being included, as they may think that it is not really a ‘proper’ transatlantic route. Nonetheless, it was decided to include it. To ensure data consistency and a fairer comparison, it was included in the analysis for Q3 2025 too.

Two of the five routes are new in 2026. They include United’s return to Glasgow, having last flown to the Scottish city before the pandemic in 2019 using the 757-200. Then there’s Santiago de Compostela, which has not previously had any long-haul flights. When all equipment is included, Cirium Diio shows that United will now fly to six Spanish cities. That’s not a record, as it flew to that many places last year, when Tenerife South was served.

United’s Transatlantic MAX Flights Have Grown By 89%

Credit: United Airlines

In Q3 2025, United had three transatlantic routes on the MAX: Newark to Funchal, Nuuk, and Ponta Delgada. As the frequencies on those routes remain unchanged in 2026, the big jump of 89% is entirely because of flights to Glasgow and Santiago. If Nuuk data is stripped out, service on MAX aircraft will more than double (+109%).

Caution is needed. It is easy to make an increase from a comparatively tiny figure look substantial on a percentage basis. However, on an absolute basis, the additional MAX flights are pretty modest.

As a randomly chosen example, the Star Alliance carrier will have an average of 3.1 daily transatlantic flights on the equipment in the first week of August 2026. They’ve increased from 1.7 weekly services in the same seven days last year.

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United’s Equipment On Transatlantic Flights In Q3

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Between July and September 2026, Cirium data shows that United has scheduled an average of 110.5 daily transatlantic flights, which is more or less flat year-over-year. With a typical 27.2 daily departures, the 777-200ER is the most-used equipment.

The 767-300ER, shown above, is second (23.4 daily), followed by 757-200 (14.4 daily), 787-10 (11.6 daily), 787-9 (10.1 daily), 767-400ER (8.3 daily), 787-8 (7.7 daily), 777-300ER (4.9 daily), and—as discussed above—the MAX 8 (2.9 daily). Despite the rise in MAX flights, the variant will only operate 2.6% of United’s transatlantic services.

Compared to Q3 2025, the use of the 777-200ER has grown the most. Departures have risen by a substantial 15.7%, meaning it’ll now operate a quarter of the carrier’s flights in this market. This expansion is partly because the Triple Seven variant will now be flown from Newark to Athens and London Heathrow, and from Washington Dulles to Athens, Barcelona, and Lisbon. In contrast, 767-400ER activity has dropped by nearly a fifth.