United is once again adding to its long-haul network. On Wednesday evening, the Chicago-based carrier began selling a new route from its San Francisco (SFO) hub to Barcelona (BCN). The airline currently serves Barcelona regularly from Newark (EWR) and seasonally from Chicago O’Hare (ORD) and Washington Dulles (IAD).
Starting on May 23, 2024, the airline will launch daily service from SFO to Barcelona with a Boeing 777-200 aircraft. The outbound flight is blocked at 11 hours and 30 minutes, departing SFO at 5:45 p.m. and arriving in Barcelona at 1:55 p.m. local time the following day. The longer return leg is slated to be 12 hours and five minutes, leaving Barcelona at 5:20 p.m., and then arriving in SFO at 8:20 p.m.
United will compete directly with low-cost carrier LEVEL’s seasonal SFO-BCN service. Besides Barcelona, United serves seven other European markets from its San Francisco hub.
Bolstering European Flights
United has been no stranger to expanding its European network in recent months. In October, the carrier announced that it would be operating its largest-ever transatlantic schedule in Summer 2024. Not only have several seasonal routes moved forward, but it also added new flights to Faro, Portugal among others.
According to Cirium Diio data, United will operate the most flights between the U.S. and Europe of any airline in July 2024. The carrier has also been building up its presence in Spain as well with 30% year-over-year growth in the country, per Live and Let’s Fly.
