United Launches New Routes From U.S. to Croatia, Greece, and Iceland This Summer

Three European cities will be in even closer reach this summer. United Airlines announced today that it will be launching a trio of new nonstop routes: Newark Liberty International Airport to Dubrovnik, Croatia; Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Reykjavik, Iceland; and Washington Dulles International Airport to Athens, Greece.

All three seasonal routes are bookable now for travel starting in July — and each is a landmark in its own way. The Dubrovnik flight will be the only direct service between the U.S. and Croatia. It will depart from Newark on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays and from Dubrovnik on Tuesday, Fridays, and Sundays from July 8 through Oct. 3 on Boeing 767-300ER planes.

Meanwhile, the Icelandic flight will be the first between Chicago and the country, running daily from July 1 through Oct. 3 on Boeing 757-200 aircrafts. And the Greece flight will be the first nonstop route between the U.S. capital and Athens, with daily departures from July 1 through Oct. 3.

United has seen a 61% increase in searches to the three cities in the last month on its site, the carrier said in a release.

"As countries around the world begin the process of reopening, leisure travelers are eager to take a long-awaited getaway to new international destinations," United's Patrick Quayle said in a statement sent to Travel + Leisure. "These three new routes unlock the natural beauty of the outdoors for our guests."

Currently, the CDC has Croatia and Greece at a Level 4 "COVID-19 Very High" warning, while Iceland has a Level 2 "COVID-19 Moderate" advisory.

While the airline is no longer boarding back to front to help with social distancing, United does allow passengers to upload their vaccination results to its mobile app or site through its Travel-Ready Center.

The new flights are part of United's efforts to expand routes in response to demand. Among its new routes are five flights a week from San Francisco to Bangalore, India, starting May 27; three flights a week from Washington, D.C. to Accra, Ghana, starting May 14; three flights a week from Washington, D.C. to Lagos, Nigeria, starting later this year; and daily service from Newark to Johannesburg, South Africa, starting June 3. (The Africa routes are pending government approval.)

Additionally, several routes will resume in the coming months, including Newark to Rome and Milan; Chicago to Tel Aviv, Munich, Amsterdam, and Tokyo Haneda; and San Francisco to Tahiti.