United Airlines has more international flights than any other carrier worldwide. And it ranks second globally for long-haul activity. Of course, due to its sheer size, international services are only a small part of its overall operation. Only 6% of its flights are beyond the US’s shores.

In the 12 months to October 2025, the US Department of Transportation indicates that the Star Alliance member had 320 international routes. Over 38 million passengers were carried, with an average seat load factor of 81.2%. As with any airline, several routes did particularly poorly, although explanations exist for some of them. One of them has already been discussed.

United’s Ten Emptiest International Routes

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The following list is based on the continental US and routes with at least 2,000 round-trip passengers in the 12 months to October 2025. This helps to remove any one-offs or other anomalies that distort the figures. Regular services are the focus here.

Most of the entries began in 2024 or 2025. That’s no surprise: routes often take time to develop, even with any financial subsidies or other risk-sharing agreements. Moreover, some are bound to fail, even relatively quickly, as you can see from the table. No amount of planning means everything will work.

Half of the ten links have ended. They includie Newark to Tenerife South, which has been discussed ad nauseam in the past couple of years. United inaugurated this airport pair in June 2022, with the Boeing 757-200 operating all flights. The final service back to the US took place in early May 2025. Across the near three-year service, the average load was 71.4%.

Washington Dulles-Dakar Is The Only Transatlantic Entry

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United has ceased flying to Senegal. Covering 3,481 nautical miles (6,447 km) each way, the carrier had only served the market since May 2025. Flights operated three times a week on the 767-300ER.

The route’s cessation, which came after less than a year, was predicted. Part of the reason was that traffic between Dakar and Dulles is very low, as the Dakar-North America market revolves around New York JFK and Montreal. The problem is, Delta already operates JFK-Dakar, while Montreal will be served by Air Transat in June.

According to the DOT, United carried 16,370 passengers between May and October 2025, the most recent period available to me. All months did poorly for loads, with the best month being July, with 70.1%. The worst was October, when just 38.9% of seats were filled. It was expected that loads would be dire outside the peak summer.

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United Filled Fewer Than Half Of Seats From Texas To Guyana

Credit: United Airlines

The worst result was on Houston Intercontinental to Georgetown, with just 48.8% of seats filled. United began the route, which covers 2,521 nautical miles (4,669 km) each way, in April 2024. Served year round, the link continues to run four times weekly on the 737 MAX 8, at least for now.

Between November 2024 and October 2025, the DOT indicates that United carried 33,399 passengers on this airport pair. The source shows that monthly loads varied from a low of 37.7% in February 2025 to a high of just 67.9% in August 2025.

According to booking data, nearly over half of the passengers connected to another flight in Houston. Despite the detour, Georgetown-Houston-Toronto was the most popular segment. Perhaps that’s not surprising, as more Guyanese live in Toronto than those from any other South American country.