dailynewsnblog
United Airlines has more transatlantic flights from the US than any other carrier. According to its latest schedule submission to OAG, it plans an average of 95 daily departures to Europe, Africa, the Middle East, etc., between April and December.
The 
Star Alliance member’s number of daily outbound services varies from as few as 71 to as many as 110. This reflects seasonality, the changing demand, and the consequent variation in the number of flights and capacity. While 110 departures might seem a lot in itself, it is down from the record-breaking 113 services that were available last year.
United’s 10 Shortest Transatlantic Flights
They are shown above and listed below by the minimum block time for the remainder of 2026. This includes taxi time at both ends, flight time, and a period for short delays. It is measured as chocks-off-to-chocks-on, or stand-to-stand or gate-to-gate.
Some may not like the inclusion of flights from 
Newark to Nuuk, Greenland. They may say that it is not a true transatlantic market. If you disagree with it being there, simply exclude it. In which case, Newark to Ponta Delgada would be United’s shortest transatlantic operation.
|
Minimum Block Time: April To December 2026* |
Direction Of Route With That Time** |
United’s Operations In The Examined Period*** |
|---|---|---|
|
4h 20m |
Newark to Nuuk |
Route began in 2025. Twice-weekly 737 MAX 8 (seasonal) |
|
5h 35m |
Newark to Ponta Delgada |
Up to daily 737 MAX 8 (seasonal) |
|
5h 40m |
Newark to Keflavik |
Daily 757-200 (seasonal) |
|
5h 55m |
Washington Dulles to Keflavik |
New route in 2026. Begins on May 21. Daily 757-200 (seasonal) |
|
6h 15m |
Chicago O’Hare to Keflavik |
Up to daily 757-200 and 737 MAX 8 (year round) |
|
6h 25m |
Newark to Shannon |
Daily 757-200 (seasonal) |
|
6h 35m |
Newark to Madeira |
Route began in 2025. Three weekly 737 MAX 8 (seasonal) |
|
6h 35m |
Newark to Dublin |
Two daily 757-200 and 777-200ER (year round). This is United’s shortest transatlantic service to see widebody aircraft |
|
6h 45m |
Newark to Lisbon |
Daily 787-10 (year round); hence the image at the start |
|
6h 45m |
Newark to Glasgow |
Returning route in 2026, having last been served in 2019, when the 757-200 was used. Daily 737 MAX 8 (seasonal) |
|
* Even if only one flight has that time |
** At 6h 50m, Newark to Porto was just short of being included |
*** Known as of April 6, and subject to change |
United’s Third Route To Iceland
According to the US Department of Transportation, Iceland has been on United’s map since 2018. This was when flights from Newark began, followed by those from Chicago O’Hare three years later.
In 2026, a record third route will be available: Washington Dulles. It’ll be the first time that a US carrier has served this market. However, Icelandic carriers have had flights since 2011.
Icelandair continues to operate, while the now-defunct PLAY joined it in 2023 and 2024. United’s launch means two airlines will operate nonstop for the first time in two years. Its launch is bound to make my weekly celebratory new routes article (see last week’s edition).
The route joins United’s network at an interesting time. The US DOT shows that it carried 61,780 passengers to/from Iceland in 2025, with traffic 18% lower than the year before. As the drop in passengers was less than the drop in capacity (-19%), the load factor improved slightly to 82.0%. The new route means that United’s seats for sale are 40% above the prior record, which was in 2024. With so many more seats, it’ll be interesting to see how the three links perform this year.
Qatar Airways Grounds All Airbus A380s For 2 Months: Here’s What’s Next
Qatar Airways has made a bold move, grounding all eight of its Airbus A380s in April and May. All its aircraft are now back in Doha.
A Look At United To Madeira
Madeira is an archipelago that’s located in the North Atlantic and part of Portugal. Renowned for being a very green and lush island, Madeira is served by Funchal Airport, which is famous for its windy nature. Requiring special training, it is a captain’s only landing. Alas, when I flew there, I landed on the other end of the runway, which was altogether more pedestrian.
United’s interest in Funchal was influenced by Azores Airlines ending New York JFK flights in 2024. In the first season, United had 47 round-trip services, which have increased to 56 in 2026. That’s up by nearly a fifth year-over-year, albeit from a small base. It must have been happy with its initial performance to extend the season.
The US DOT shows it filled 74.9% of seats, counterbalanced by whatever incentives or other risk-sharing agreements it has. It was far from being on the carrier’s worst-performing list. Its first season’s seat factor was nearly 15 percentage points higher than for Azores Airlines in 2024, which is partly because of United’s considerable connectivity at its Newark hub.
