United adds dozens of new routes ahead of 'summer vacation season,' plans to restore international flights

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While the CDC is still recommending Americans avoid non-essential travel due to the coronavirus pandemic, United Airlines has added 26 new routes ahead of the "summer vacation season." 

Starting in May, the airline will begin flying from Midwestern cities like Cleveland, Cincinnati and Milwaukee to popular East Coast destinations like Hilton Head, S.C.; Pensacola, Fla and Portland, Maine, according to a news release issued Thursday, March 25.  

These summer flights will provide nonstop service at frequencies that range between two and four times per week, according to United’s current flight schedule. 

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Other cities travelers will be able to get to from this new summer service include Columbus, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Charleston, Myrtle Beach and Savannah, Ga. 

Outside of its new transregional offerings, United will also resume service to more than 20 domestic routes that were paused during the pandemic. 

The airline announced it plans to "fly more than 100% of its pre-pandemic schedule to Latin America" in May, which includes Mexico, Central and South America and parts of the Caribbean. 

For more distant transcontinental flights, United is aiming to resume service from Chicago to Tokyo and Amsterdam in addition to New York and New Jersey to Milan and Rome. 

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"In the past few weeks, we have seen the strongest flight bookings since the start of the pandemic," said United's Vice President of Domestic Network Planning and scheduling Ankit Gupta, in a statement. "As we rebuild our schedule to meet that demand, adding in seasonal point-to-point flying is just one of the ways we are finding opportunities to add new and exciting service. 

United’s plans to expand service comes four days after the Transportation Security Administration screened a pandemic record of 1.5 million travelers in a single day. 

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Despite the increase in airline passengers, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still recommending Americans to refrain from non-essential travel. 

Earlier this month, the CDC updated its guidance for people who are fully vaccinated for COVID-19. 

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is still recommending Americans avoid non-essential travel due to the coronavirus pandemic. (iStock)

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Vaccinated individuals have received official approval for mask-free, indoor visits with people who have also received their coronavirus vaccines or are considered low risk. Additionally, vaccinated individuals can skip quarantining or testing if they have been exposed to someone who tested positive for coronavirus, so long as they’re asymptomatic. 

However, vaccinated individuals are encouraged to avoid travel during the pandemic if it can be helped just like their non-vaccinated counterparts. 

"Travel increases your chance of spreading and getting COVID-19," the CDC’s travel guidelines state. "Delay travel and stay home to protect yourself and others from COVID-19, even if you are vaccinated." 

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If traveling must be done, the health agency recommends people wear protective face masks, practice social distancing and crowd avoidance, and regularly sanitize hands.