United Airlines resumed flights between Washington DC and Athens, Greece, on Sunday, almost three weeks earlier than planned.
The flights, which will operate daily for the next several months, will be exclusively operated by the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
United previously planned to return the service early in May, but the airline reportedly moved up the start date last fall as part of a shake-up to many of its transatlantic route plans. Throughout the route’s run this year, the US legacy carrier will offer nearly 95,000 seats.
The seasonal service originates from United’s hub, Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), and is scheduled for a nine-hour, 45-minute journey to Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos (ATH). The return flight is slightly longer, scheduled at 11 hours to account for the typical headwinds on westbound flights.
According to aviation data and analytics provider Cirium, the service will run once daily with flights in each direction through October. Unlike last year, United will only deploy the 787-8 on the route.
With the flights beginning this week, the airline has a total of 33 flights scheduled for the remainder of the month – 17 from IAD to ATH and 16 on the return. The 787-8 accommodates 243 passengers in a three-class configuration. The United Polaris business class features 28 suites with fully lie-flat beds and privacy dividers.
United’s new nonstop flight to Athens from Chicago
In February United Airlines announced that from May 23rd, it is launching a new nonstop flight from Chicago O’Hare International Airport to Athens.
Boeing 787-8s will operate the new seasonal route with a capacity for 243 passengers in a three-cabin configuration.
Adding a route from Chicago will mean United will have three Athens routes, as the carrier also operates flights from Newark Liberty International Airport and Dulles International Airport.
“United continues to have the largest and most diverse network across the Atlantic and we are excited to announce this further expansion of our route network from Greece to the U.S. with new summer seasonal service between Athens and Chicago O’Hare,” said Marcel Fuchs, United’s Managing Director International Sales.
United will go head-to-head with American Airlines on this new route, as American also flies between the two cities seasonally from May to October. American uses Boeing 787s for its services but deploys a larger variant than United, the -9 and a capacity for 285 passengers.
Athens is the only Greek city with nonstop flights from the United States, and seven routes connect it with the US. According to Cirium data, Athens is connected to Boston, New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Newark, Washington DC, and Atlanta.