United Airlines will offer 17 new routes to Florida from the Midwest and Northeast this winter.
None of the routes will involve a United hub. That's a major strategic departure by the airline as it chases demand wherever it can be found is during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The first 12 routes will begin on Nov. 6 with United launching service from New York LaGuardia, Boston and Cleveland to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Orlando and Tampa. United said the flights will be operated on peak days, which are typically Thursday through Monday.
On Dec. 17 the carrier will add service to Fort Myers from Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Columbus and Milwaukee and to Tampa from Milwaukee.
Overall, United will offer as many as 28 combined daily frequencies on the 17 routes. The flights are scheduled to last through Jan. 10; after that the carriers will adjust its schedule based upon demand, spokesman Jonathan Guerin said.
"The addition of these new flights represents United's largest expansion of point-to-point non-hub flying and reflects our data driven approach to add capacity where customers are telling us they want to go," said Ankit Gupta, United's vice president of domestic network planning.