United Airlines Will Launch Houston to Medellin Flight

United Airlines announced in early March 2024 that they would begin carrying out daily flights from Houston to Medellin, Colombia. This new direct flight, part of a larger expansion to more destinations, will be the first direct flight from Medellin operated by United Airlines, although they operate daily flights from Bogota to Houston and Newark. 

United Airlines, which has rolled out new flights on a global scale, has confirmed that this flight will begin operating on October 27, 2024.

The flight from Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport will be carried out in a Boeing 737 aircraft and will make Medellin the fifty-second destination that United serves in Latin America from Houston. Other destinations that are part of this expansion are Houston to Marrakesh and Houston to Tokyo.

United will compete with other airlines, such as Avianca, American Airlines, and Spirit Airlines, with its direct flight to Medellin. It remains to be seen how the flight operation goes in terms of frequency. Already there are 122 flights every month from Miami International to Medellin, while Fort Lauderdale International has 65 flights every month to the Colombian city.

More competition in Colombia for United Airlines

United Airlines began operating in Colombia with the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, which has three classes: the airline has 16 first-class seats, 54 economy plus seats, and 96 economy seats.

However United is facing increased competition since Fly Emirates also began operations in Colombia earlier this year. Even though there are no direct flights to Medellin, Fly Emirates will begin to carry out direct flights from Dubai to Bogota. For United, however, the rival airline’s significant flight is a direct flight from Bogota to Miami. Emirates is perceived as a world-class airline, and after the recent controversy with Avianca and other airlines’ quality of service, there are high expectations for the Middle Eastern airline.