United announced Thursday that it is adding new routes and bolstering others, partly as an effort to poach customers from a struggling competitor.
Starting Jan. 6, 2026, the carrier will for the first time link Newark, New Jersey, with Columbia, South Carolina, and Chattanooga, Tennessee. Ultra-low-cost airline Spirit axed flights to both of these markets just months after starting them.
The same day, United will expand service to and from some of its hub locations. One additional daily round-trip flight will operate between Houston and Orlando, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Baltimore, and Miami; between Chicago and Orlando, New Orleans, Las Vegas, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida; between Newark and Orlando and Fort Lauderdale; and between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
United is also adding extra flights between Houston, Chicago, and Los Angeles and will fly larger aircraft between Chicago and New York-LaGuardia to help more customers connect to its broader route network.
A Spirit Alternative
Airline leaders said this expansion is meant to offer an alternative to Spirit, which recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the second time.
“If Spirit suddenly goes out of business it will be incredibly disruptive, so we’re adding these flights to give their customers other options if they want or need them,” said Patrick Quayle, United’s senior vice president of global network planning and alliances.
Spirit is critically short on cash and has warned investors that it may not survive the year as a going concern, though its leadership insists it is making changes that will return the airline to profitability.
The carrier confirmed Wednesday that it is pulling out of 11 U.S. cities, including Columbia and Chattanooga. It will also not move forward with plans to add service to Macon, Georgia.
In a statement, Spirit’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications, Duncan Dee, responded to Quayle’s comments.
“While we appreciate the obsession certain airline executives have with us, we’re focused on competing and running a great operation,” Dee said. “Suggesting anything else is wishful thinking on the part of a high-cost airline looking to eliminate a low-cost competitor so they can fulfill their ultimate goal of charging American travelers the highest fares possible to visit the people and places they love. Spirit is responsible for making low fares available to consumers for more than 30 years, whether they fly with us or not. We have every expectation to continue doing so for many years to come.”
United also said it will build up its international service with three new weekly flights between Houston and Guatemala City, Guatemala and San Salvador, El Salvador, along with one new weekly flight between Houston and San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated on Sept. 4, 2025, at 11:20 a.m. ET to add a statement from Spirit.
