United Airlines has increased capacity on its Cape Town routes in response to rising passenger demand during the South African summer holiday travel season.
Passenger bookings from Cape Town to the United States increased by 7 percent over the peak holiday period from 18 December to 6 January, compared with the same period last year. To accommodate this growth, United increased its service between Cape Town and New York/Newark from three to four daily flights during the peak holiday window.
The additional capacity reflects sustained demand for travel between South Africa and the United States over the festive season. Among travellers departing South Africa, the most popular U.S. destinations on United’s network during the holiday period include New York/Newark, Washington D.C. and Chicago.
United launched its Cape Town to Newark service in 2019, followed by the introduction of Cape Town to Washington D.C. flights in 2022. Since 2021, the airline has also expanded its African network with new routes to Johannesburg, Accra, Lagos, Dakar and Marrakesh, establishing a growing footprint on the continent.
The increased Cape Town capacity forms part of a broader surge in demand across United’s global network during the December–January holiday travel season. The airline expects to fly approximately 10.3 million passengers between 18 December and 6 January, marking the busiest Dec–Jan holiday period in its history.
On average, United anticipates operating around 4,700 flights per day and carrying nearly 520,000 passengers daily during the period. The busiest travel day is expected to fall after Christmas, with approximately 560,000 passengers forecast to fly on Saturday, 27 December.
Across its international network, United reports that the most popular destinations for travel originating from the United States during the holiday season are Cancun, London and Frankfurt. Domestically, Orlando, Las Vegas and Honolulu are expected to be the most popular U.S. destinations for New Year’s Eve travel.
This peak holiday period follows United’s busiest Thanksgiving travel season on record, during which the airline also recorded its highest-ever customer satisfaction score for the month of November.
