Star Alliance carrier United Airlines is getting into the holiday spirit with a focus on trips to Christmas Markets across Europe.
The airline hopes frequent departures and combined onward connections across Europe's vast rail network will entice travelers to fly across the pond this winter.
Recent research by Deloitte indicates that spending on shopping has decreased in the face of rising living costs while spending on experiences is expected to increase by 16% year over year.
United Airlines is seeking to counter that by offering its largest schedule ever to European Christmas Market destinations, offering a mix of shopping and experiences.
European Christmas markets are a cultural tradition that features festive offerings like mulled wine, artisan crafts, live music, picturesque scenery, and traditional food.
The markets vary significantly from city to city, even within the same country, and attract millions of visitors annually.
United Airlines is gearing up for its busiest holiday travel season on record and reports bookings to European destinations are up nearly 10% year over year and almost 30% compared to 2019. Darren Scott, United's Director of Atlantic and Hawaii Planning, highlighted just how accessible the markets are this winter:
"The European Christmas markets have become even more popular in recent years and no airline makes it easier than United to get away and visit for the holidays.
"Stay for a week or make it a long weekend with nonstop flights and easy connections to more than 130 European cities, including the legendary markets in Dresden, Strasbourg, Vienna, and Cologne."
United Airlines plans to offer nearly 60 nonstop flights each day from the US to Europe in November and December, the most of any domestic airline.
This winter, the airline offers direct flights to 16 European cities with holiday markets, including Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Edinburgh, Zurich, Amsterdam, Brussels, London, and Paris.
Of these cities, it offers more nonstop flights than any other US airline to Frankfurt, Munich, and Brussels and is the only domestic airline with year-round nonstop flights to Geneva and Berlin.
The European city with the most direct United flights this winter is London Heathrow Airport (LHR), which receives 17 nonstop flights per day from across United's hubs in the US.
Passengers can also take advantage of United's Star Alliance partners in the Lufthansa Group (which include the flag carriers of Austria, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland) and rail operator Deutsche Bahn to connect to more than 130 additional destinations across Europe.
The intermodal partnership complements the networks of United and its partners to help travelers navigate overseas travel simply by allowing passengers to book onward travel on a single booking so they only have to check in one.
Passengers can also mix and match their flights to fly into one city and return from another.
Passengers can connect to Dresden, where the city's Striezelmarkt, first held in 1434, is considered to be the first Christmas Market.
Or they can take a train to Vienna, home to one of the most beloved markets in Europe, and fly back directly with Star Alliance partner Austrian Airlines.
Across its entire network, United expects the 2024 holiday period to be its busiest yet, with plans to carry around 25 million passengers (up 6% from 2023).
The airline is even preparing approximately 150 de-icing trucks to ensure aircraft are ready for flights as temperatures drop.
