United Airlines Doubles Boeing 737 MAX 8 Routes To Europe & Adds New Longest Flights

On October 9, United Airlines unveiled five new and returning European routes. They are all from its East Coast hubs. The additions include Newark to Glasgow and Santiago de Compostela. For now, at least, they will be United’s two longest Boeing 737 MAX 8 routes to Europe.

The Star Alliance member will return to Glasgow after a seven-year absence. It served the route from Newark, which was inherited from Continental, on the 757 until 2019. United will be the only US carrier at the Scottish airport. Meanwhile, the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela will get its first and only regular US service in its history.

Until Now, United Only Had 2 MAX Routes To Europe

Credit: United Airlines

Until now, United has only ever had two European routes on the 166-seat 737 MAX 8: Newark to Funchal (Madeira) and Ponta Delgada (the Azores). Both places are in Portugal. While the carrier’s flights to Ponta Delgada have been operating since May 2022, Funchal joined its network in June 2025.

United inaugurated flights to Funchal partly because Azores Airlines ceased Funchal-JFK service in 2024. (Despite Funchal being the capital of Madeira, Azores Airlines did indeed operate.) According to the US Department of Transportation, the Portuguese carrier only filled 50% of its Funchal-JFK-Funchal seats in 2022, 57% in 2023, and 60% in 2024. Yes, it was improving, but it was dismal. No wonder it was cut.

It is too early to say how United has done in its first full season, as the data is not yet available. The most recent month with information is June, and the US DOT indicates that it filled 67% of seats. Not great per se, but it was not the peak season, it is a brand-new link, and it’ll undoubtedly be underpinned by significant incentives and other risk-sharing mechanisms. With United’s brand awareness and huge network behind Newark, time will tell how it did.

Its MAX Routes Have Doubled To 4 (For Now)

Credit: GCMap

Let’s look ahead to the summer of 2026. Examining a variant’s network so far ahead of time is always fraught, as changes can and do happen. After all, United may reveal additional MAX-operated links or other changes may occur. As such, treat this as a snapshot of what is planned as of October 10. Incoming Airbus A321XLRs could complicate things further.

The latest information indicates that Newark-Glasgow flights will begin on May 18, 2026, and run seasonally. It’ll be served daily on the MAX 8. Meanwhile, Newark-Santiago de Compostela service will launch on May 22, 2026, and operate three times weekly on a seasonal basis. When they start, they’ll become its first and second-longest MAX-operated links to Europe.

United won’t have the longest MAX-operated European service. At 3,147 nautical miles (5,828 km), Keflavik to Seattle will be number one. The MAX 8 will operate all three of Icelandair’s flights, while Alaska Airlines will use that variant when it launches the route.

Newark-Glasgow Had Been Served For Many Years

Credit: Flickr

The US DOT indicates that Continental and later United operated the route between 1998 and 2019, primarily, but not entirely, using the 757-200. (The photo above was taken in Glasgow in 2013, long before United’s new livery materialized.) In these 21 years, over 2.2 million passengers were carried, and 85% of seats were filled. For some of this period, Glasgow also had JFK flights by British Airways and, much later, by Delta.

Glasgow was Scotland’s primary long-haul gateway. It had replaced Prestwick for this role. However, since the pandemic, Edinburgh has become the nation’s primary long-haul airport. Indeed, still focusing on the US, the Scottish capital will have up to 11 daily departures next summer, including up to four to Newark/JFK by Delta, JetBlue, and United. In contrast, only United and TUI will operate from Glasgow to the US, with no more than two daily takeoffs.