United Airlines will expand its service to the Balearic Islands next year with a direct New York–Ibiza route beginning May 31, 2027. This new flight, which will operate four times a week, expands on the air bridge established in 2022 with the Palma-New York route. The U.S. airline has just announced ten new international destinations in Europe and Asia, and the largest of the Pitiusas Islands is one of them.
This is a route that has long been requested by the Ibiza Council and a large part of the island’s business community. The route will connect to Newark Metropolitan Airport, which a few days later will launch another route to Valencia, in this case with three weekly flights. With its Airbus A321XLR (nicknamed “Born to Explore”), United Airlines thus becomes the first U.S. airline to launch a nonstop service to the White Island.
Antonio De Toro, United Airlines’ regional sales manager for Spain and Portugal, states that the operating period for this route is among the details that still need to be finalized. It is expected that the dates during which the route will operate will be similar to those of the Palma-New York flight, which runs from mid-May through late October.
The Airbus A321XLR is a single-aisle aircraft designed for international flights, which will feature a new United Polaris suite with a privacy door, free Starlink Wi-Fi for MileagePlus members, 4K OLED screens with Bluetooth connectivity, and a snack bar in United Economy. The aircraft will also feature the new Economy Plus seats, offering more elbow room and access to a shared tray table by utilizing the empty middle seat. United expects to be the only major U.S. airline to offer this configuration.
The Ibiza Council had even suggested that a frequency of three days a week would be desirable. Ultimately, the service will exceed that figure, reaching four weekly flights. Market research conducted by the company has convinced it to include Ibiza in its Atlantic expansion strategy. The strong performance of (in fact, the company had observed that many of its customers took advantage of the trip to visit Ibiza and Formentera), as well as the interest shown by institutions and companies in Ibiza’s tourism sector—which view American tourists as a cornerstone of their strategy for market diversification and for attracting visitors with greater purchasing power.
Global Expansion Plan
Although for a time Delta was rumored to be one of the leading candidates to launch this first connection between Ibiza and the U.S., it will ultimately be United Airlines that takes the lead. The selection of Ibiza is part of the most ambitious expansion plan the company has ever announced. As part of this plan, by 2027 it will add ten new cities to its network in Europe and Asia and three new international routes from the United States.
Eight of these destinations did not previously have direct service from any other U.S. airline. These new destinations are Okinawa (Japan), Toulouse (France), Luxembourg, Marseille (France), Ibiza (Spain), Valencia (Spain), Terceira (Portugal), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Olbia (Sardinia, Italy), and Catania (Sicily, Italy).
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby emphasized that the company’s international expansion strategy since the pandemic has allowed it to “set the airline apart and reinforce its commitment to a customer-centric experience.” “We offer more flights across the Atlantic and the Pacific, and Newark is the country’s best gateway to the Atlantic,” said Kirby, who added that the company will continue to build on this momentum with the addition of the new A321XLR to its fleet.
For his part, Patrick Quayle, United’s senior vice president of Global Network Planning and Alliances, emphasized that the company’s goal is to offer destinations for different types of travelers, from business trips and honeymoons to family vacations and leisure travel. “We’ve added flights to nearly 60 new international cities over the past decade, creating a global network with the breadth and reach needed to set travel trends and inspire even the most discerning travelers to discover new places,” he said. Tickets for the new routes are now available through United’s website and app.
