United Airlines to launch year-round Belfast-New York nonstop service
In addition to its current schedule, the airline will now also operate the service from 7 Jan through to 10 Mar 2016, three times weekly.
“We’re pleased to offer our Northern Irish customers a year-round direct link to New York,” said Bob Schumacher, United’s Managing Director Sales, UK and Ireland. “New York remains a popular destination for travellers and our Newark Liberty hub provides the most convenient route into the city as well as easy connections to hundreds of other destinations across the United States and beyond. With this schedule change, we are offering our customers even more choice.”
Belfast International Airport Managing Director, Graham Keddie, said: “This is wonderful news. We have been working with stakeholders to achieve this outcome and we are delighted it is now being delivered. The decision by United to return to full year-round service is of great significance to the Northern Ireland economy. Our one and only direct, scheduled trans-Atlantic service to Newark Liberty is a ‘lifeline’ for U.S.-owned firms and adds massively to efforts by Invest NI to attract additional and highly prized U.S. investment. United are to be applauded, and we will do all we can to promote and market the service.”
United operates a major global gateway hub at Newark Liberty, which is the only New York-area airport served directly by regional and national rail lines. The airline operates flights from New York/Newark to more than 300 destinations throughout North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, including more than 100 served nonstop.
United offers nonstop trans-Atlantic service from more cities in the UK and Ireland than any other airline. From London/Heathrow, United operates up to 17 flights per day to six of its US hubs: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C./Dulles.
In addition, the airline offers nonstop service from Dublin to New York/Newark and Washington/Dulles, and from Dublin to Chicago (on a seasonal basis), from Edinburgh to New York/Newark and (on a seasonal basis) Chicago, from Manchester to New York/Newark and (on a seasonal basis) Washington/Dulles, from Newcastle to New York/Newark (on a seasonal basis), from Shannon to New York/Newark and (on a seasonal basis) Chicago, and from Belfast, Birmingham and Glasgow to New York/Newark.
United Airlines and United Express operate an average of nearly 5,000 flights a day to 362 airports across six continents.