United will offer 45 flights per day to Orlando, 30 to Fort Lauderdale, and 43 to Las Vegas.
In a direct response to Spirit Airlines’ recent announcement on its second Chapter 11 filing in less than a year, United Airlines is planning to expand its winter flights to 15 sunny destinations, including Fort Lauderdale and Orlando in Florida, as well as Las Vegas.
With this schedule expansion, United will offer 45 flights per day to Orlando, 30 to Fort Lauderdale, and 43 to Las Vegas, the airline reported in a Sept. 4 company statement.
On Aug. 29, Spirit Aviation Holdings, Inc., the parent company of Spirit Airlines LLC, announced a comprehensive restructuring of the Florida-based air carrier. The company filed voluntary petitions for Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.
“If Spirit suddenly goes out of business, it will be incredibly disruptive, so we’re adding these flights to give their customers other options if they want or need them,” Patrick Quayle, United’s senior vice president of Global Network Planning and Alliances, said in the statement.
The new schedule is set to start on Jan. 6, 2026, and will also include new routes from Newark/New York to Columbia, South Carolina, and Chattanooga, Tennessee. Other new routes will transport more passengers from Houston to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
United also plans to add one daily round-trip flight between Houston and Orlando, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Atlanta, Baltimore, and Miami.
One more daily round-trip flight will be added between Chicago and Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, New Orleans, and Las Vegas, as well as the route between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
A single weekly flight will also be added between Houston and San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
United also plans to increase flights between Houston, Chicago, and Los Angeles and will operate larger aircraft between Chicago and New York LaGuardia to help consumers outside of United’s hubs connect to these flights.
United’s U.S. hubs are currently located in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco, and Washington.
Spirit Airlines, meanwhile, plans to continue operations.
By Mary Prenon
