Shuttle flights are making a comeback.
A United CRJ aircraft (Photo: Shutterstock | BUI LE MANH HUNG)
Hourly flights are set to return between New York and Washington, D.C. In 2021, American officially retired its “shuttle” product between Reagan National and New York-LaGuardia after 60 years.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, both American and Delta operated semi-hourly flights between the two airports. These frequencies ebbed and flowed between 2021 and 2022, before dropping substantially in 2023.
With air traffic control constraints in the New York area, airlines quickly took advantage of slot waivers to reduce the risk of irregular operations. As a result, frequencies between D.C. and New York took a hit.
An American E190 at LaGuardia Airport, which previously operated many of the carrier’s East Coast shuttle flights. (Photo: AirlineGeeks | William Derrickson)
Starting next year, United is slated to ramp up service between its Newark hub and Reagan National. As first reported by Aeroroutes, the airline will add 10 more daily flights on the route.
United currently operates seven daily flights between Reagan National and Newark. That number will increase to 17 frequencies in each direction effective May 22, 2025.
During the same timeframe, American and Delta will continue with between seven and nine daily flights from LaGuardia to D.C., according to Cirium Diio schedule data.
Most of United’s flights are scheduled to depart every hour on the hour beginning at 6 a.m. with the last departure at 9:00 p.m. from Newark. D.C.-Newark flights will be operated by GoJet’s CRJ-550 aircraft, which feature 10 first class seats and 40 in economy.
This service cadence is not entirely new on the route. United previously offered up to 18 frequencies between early 2021 and mid-2023, before scaling down service through 2024.
In an email to AirlineGeeks, a spokesperson from the airline stopped short of confirming the frequency increase, instead saying: “We’re continually evaluating our schedules based on what best serves our customers and the needs of the business and the operation.”
A report from airline watchdog Enilria notes that the airline removed service between Newark and three Northeast markets to allow for the additional D.C.-Newark flights. Now, United could reverse course on this shake-up. The current New York-area slot waivers are set to expire in October 2025.
Editor’s Note: This story was updated on Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024 at 4:32 p.m. ET to add comments from United.Â
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