United Airlines is reducing its winter flights to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) from several of its hubs, removing multiple daily frequencies on some routes. In January alone, 207 flights to London were cut from United’s network. It is unclear why United has reduced so much of its network to London this winter, and Simple Flying has contacted United for further information. The airline has not replied at the time of publication.

Breaking down the cuts

London Heathrow is an important market for United, with 21 scheduled flights today from its seven hubs and Boston. From Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), United has up to seven daily flights to London, depending on the time of year. The alterations on the Newark route begin on October 28, with the route dropping from seven to five daily flights and going back up to six the following day.

The Newark-Heathrow route faces further cuts through March 2024. In November, United removed one daily flight from its schedule, 60 in total, cutting 5,010 seats in each direction. Still, the airline has 176 flights scheduled in each direction, offering 58,784 seats on the route. December had 97 flights cut, reducing 16,199 seats.

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

January suffered the most significant cut, 124 flights, or 29.1%. According to data from Cirium, United now plans to operate 36 fewer flights (in both directions) between Newark and London in January 2024 than in January 2023.

Below is the total number of cuts between Newark and London Heathrow per month:

As mentioned earlier, several United hubs will see a reduction in Heathrow flights. Cuts at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) also begin at the end of October. Only five flights were cut in October, but the reductions increase in the following months. Below is the breakdown of the cuts in the coming months:

Photo: Lukas Souza | Simple Flying

Cuts at Chicago O’Hare International Airport begin in November and also go through March 2024. The cuts on the O’Hare-Heathrow route are the most significant in February, with 25 fewer flights and 4,175 fewer seats. Cuts from San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Houston were very minimal.

An overview of all cuts

Below is a table with cuts on every route to London from October to March.

Despite the reductions, United still has many flights to Heathrow from its hubs, and passengers have several options when flying to the capital of the United Kingdom.

Why do you anticipate United is cutting Heathrow services this winter? Let us know in the comments