Since 2019, prior to the pandemic, the American airline has nearly doubled (98%) its capacity on flights to and from Portugal, with bookings for this year “in line with expectations,” stated Darren Scott in a written interview.
These figures already include the four new weekly connections set to begin on May 16 between Faro and New York/Newark.
Regarding the booking rate for flights in the Algarve operation, Scott did not provide numbers but commented that “bookings throughout the summer are in line with expectations,” not only for Faro but also for other airports where the airline is present.
“United Airlines is proud to be the only airline to directly connect Faro, as well as Madeira Island, to the United States,” remarked the director for the Atlantic/Hawaii, who noted that the company was compelled to postpone the start of its Algarve operations last year due to a shortage of aircraft.
In addition to the Faro and Funchal (Madeira) airports, the airline offers daily year-round flights from Lisbon to New York, as well as almost year-round daily service from Portela to Washington DC. It also provides seasonal daily flights from Porto and Ponta Delgada (Azores) to New York/Newark.
Discussing the tourist profile for the Algarve operation, Darren Scott explained that there is an “excellent opportunity for synergies between Faro and other services to Portugal, supporting, for instance, tourists visiting multiple locations and taking advantage of an ‘open jaw’ itinerary, flying into Faro to visit the Algarve region and returning via Lisbon or Porto, for example.”
When asked if they are considering expanding flight offerings from Portugal to other cities beyond New York and Washington DC, Scott mentioned that they “continue to monitor demand and the capacity to expand the breadth of services to Portugal from additional United ‘hubs’.
“We are offering more flights between Portugal and the USA than any other American airline,” he emphasized, noting that through United’s hubs, passengers can connect to over 100 destinations in the North American market.
American tourists have been contributing significantly to the growth of the sector in Portugal.
Last year, the U.S. accounted for 5.1 million overnight stays by non-residents in Portugal, marking a 12% increase compared to 2023 and about 9% of the total, which exceeded 56 million (+4.7%), according to data from INE.
The United Kingdom, with over 10 million overnight stays, Germany with 6.3 million, and Spain with 5.4 million, formed the top three.
