United Airlines is the US’s leading international operator. According to the country’s Department of Transportation (DOT), the Star Alliance member carried 39 million passengers beyond the US border in the 12 months to February 2026. It carried 15% of the nation’s international traffic. United has started multiple new routes recently.

Virtually half of United’s international passengers flew long-haul. It was the leading airline to Asia and Europe. It ranked second to Australasia (behind Qantas), third to Africa (after Delta Air Lines and Ethiopian Airlines), fourth to South America (behind LATAM, American Airlines, and Delta), and fifth to the Middle East (after Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad, and El Al).

United’s Worst International Load Factor

Credit: United Airlines

DOT data for March 2025 to February 2026 has been used to identify United’s ten worst-performing routes by load factor (technically, seat factor). This is, of course, just one performance measure, and it should not be considered in isolation. It is always about how it was achieved. However, exceptionally low results speak volumes. For some of the entries, additional context is essential to better understand them.

When all of United’s international routes are considered, the average load was 83.1%. In contrast, the worst-performing link by this measure was Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) to Georgetown, Guyana. Just 47.2% of seats were filled in the examined period (32,270 round-trip passengers).

Flights started in April 2024 and continue to run four times weekly on the Boeing 737 MAX 8. They cover 2,521 nautical miles (4,669 km) each way. Unbelievably, some months continue to have extraordinarily poor loads. For example, just 39.6% of seats were filled in February 2026.

It’d be fair to assume that it is a relatively high-yielding market, influenced by oil and energy traffic. The airline’s website shows that a round-trip ticket for an economy ticket between Georgetown and Houston is usually $1,000+, with business fares being $5,000+. Despite filling less than half of the seats, this probably explains why the frequency has not been reduced — and why the route has not been removed. It’ll be good to see if anything changes in the future.

United’s 2nd To 5th-Worst Results

With just 51.5% of seats filled, Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Nuuk, Greenland, was second (4,869 passengers). United launched this brand-new service in June 2025, with a twice-weekly seasonal service on the 737 MAX 8.

Most of the trickle of passengers flew in July and August. But even then, the DOT shows that the loads were poor. The best month for traffic was July (2,822 passengers), but just 50.8% of seats were filled. Despite twice-weekly flights, there was way too much capacity available. Oddly, United’s schedule submission to Cirium shows it plans 7% more seats for sale in 2026. It is unclear whether the yields or any financial incentives are so strong as to underpin the route. Expect changes in 2027.

In third place was San Francisco to Panama City. With just 52.4% of seats filled (39,746 passengers), this route ended in January 2026. It had only existed since May 2025, with a daily 737 MAX 8 service throughout its short life. This market remains served by United’s close partner, Copa Airlines, with up to 12 weekly services in the remainder of 2026.

San Francisco to Adelaide was fourth (52.4%; 8,867 passengers), followed by IAH to Havana (52.6%; 26,378 passengers; flights ended in September 2025). The very long link to South Australia only launched in December 2025, with the last departure of the season taking place in March 2026. It was the first nonstop service between North America and Adelaide. Despite not being a full season, barely half of the seats on the brand-new route were filled. Significant funding must underpin it.

United’s International Routes With The 6th To 10th Lowest Loads

Credit: Shutterstock

With 55.7% of seats filled, Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) to Dakar ranked sixth (24,383 passengers; the route operated between May 2025 and January 2026). IAD to Barbados was next (60.6%; 8,371 passengers), followed by Los Angeles to Belize City (61.4%; 2,636 passengers), IAD to Providenciales (63.1%; 62,001 passengers), and IAH to Tampico (63.2%; 54,370 passengers).

For obvious reasons, IAH is United’s primary gateway to Mexico. The DOT shows that the airline carried three million passengers between that hub and Mexico in the 12 months to February 2026. Traffic was three-and-a-half times the amount of the second-ranked San Francisco. Yet, United only filled 76.7% of its IAH-Mexico seats, which was four percentage points lower than for its overall transborder operation.