Travelers seeking a tropical getaway next year will be able to fly nonstop from Newark Liberty International Airport to Maui on United Airlines after the carrier adds the route as part of its expanded service to far-flung locales.
In addition, the airline will add a nonstop roundtrip flight between Newark and Johannesburg beginning next spring, which will be the only such route offered by a U.S. carrier, United said in a Sept. 9 statement. The flight to Kahului Airport in Maui will begin in the summer of 2021.
The expansion also includes new routes between the U.S. and India along with other destinations in Africa. The announcement comes while travel remains depressed due to COVID-19 fears. In April, with the pandemic keeping travelers at home, United temporarily reduced the number of its Newark flights from 139 to 15 and the number of destinations served from 62 to nine.
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“Now is the right time to take a bold step in evolving our global network to help our customers reconnect with friends, family and colleagues around the world,” said Patrick Quayle, vice president of international network and alliances. “These new nonstop routes provide shorter travel times and convenient one-stop connections from across the United States, demonstrating United’s continued innovative and forward-looking approach to rebuilding our network to meet the travel needs of our customers.”
United said the new routes are subject to regulatory approval and tickets will be available on united.com and the United app over the coming weeks.
Newark Liberty itself is undergoing a major expansion even as travel volumes remain low during the pandemic. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, said earlier this year that the new Terminal One is on schedule to open late in 2021. The new facility will replace Terminal A; United flights operate into and out of Terminal C.
