United Airlines handled almost 30.100 passengers on its Croatia flights during the first three months of the 2026 summer season. The figures, provided by the United States Bureau of Transportation Statistics, cover the first flight of the season in April, followed by operations during May and June.
The carrier welcomed 6.457 passengers on its new seasonal service between Newark and Split during the period. The route was launched on April 30 and operates three times per week with the Boeing 767-300ER aircraft until its conclusion last week. Its average cabin load factor stood at 73%, representing an encouraging start for a new transatlantic service, particularly as the figures cover its introductory period and the shoulder-season months of May and June. United has already confirmed that flights between Newark and Split will return during the 2027 summer season.
The airline’s established Newark - Dubrovnik service continued to perform strongly. United handled 23.639 passengers on the route during the same period, representing an increase of 10.8% on the 21.329 travellers carried a year earlier. Its average cabin load factor improved by 5.6 points, from 77.6% in 2025 to 83.2% this year.
The available figures do not yet include July, August or September, which represent the peak travel period for both Croatian coastal destinations. United has told EX-YU Aviation News that it has not yet made any decisions regarding a potential extension of the operating periods of its two seasonal Croatian routes for next year, noting that “schedule details for the 2027 season will be determined later this year”.
Fantastic news for Croatia.
ReplyDeleteThe SPU flight loads are not impressive. The tickets compared to DBV are much more expensive and hence why many prefer to fly to DBV instead. It could be due to the aircraft type they use on this route. The B767-300 version used is premium heavy with less than 30% of the seats in regular economy class. Usually, they deploy this aircraft type on more business heavy routes such as LHR and ZRH. I agree with many others here that launching ZAG would have made more sense. Oh well, who knows, maybe DL or AA start it, since I doubt UA is going to do it now due to LJU launch.
DeleteOf course ZAG would have more sense! ZAG has more demand for premium seats!
DeleteLol 🤣
DeleteI still don't get that they haven't started ZAG.
ReplyDeleteBecause Zagreb is an into-USA market and as such it has low premium demand, whereas Split and Dubrovnik are into-Croatia and yields are understandably much higher.
DeleteI don't think Europeans realise how high incomes are in the USA. The gap is huge and still growing.
Yaaawn
DeleteIf statistics are boring for you then you can ignore them and continue living in illusions.
DeleteZagreb remains the obvious missing piece. It may not have Dubrovnik’s tourism appeal but it could support a different mix of business, diaspora and connecting traffic.
DeleteWhat are the chances for ZAG in say 2028 now that LJU is launching?
DeleteAnon 09:05 Unfortunately direct transatlantic flight is considered as a public train service here and citizens of every mid-sized city in this part of Europe believe that it is their basic right to have it regardless of their GDP per capita, ignoring the commercial drivers behind the industry.
DeleteAnd there's the connectivity issue. Zagreb being well connected to major European hubs becomes a disadvantage when it comes to securing new routes. Because competition is not the first thing a new market entrant seeks.
But anyway, here we cheer for the cities/countries as if they are football clubs. Forget the business dynamics, go Belgrade, go Ljubljana, go Zagreb, go Skopje!
I’m not bored by statistics, but rather by the post above yours—and by the fact that, whenever flights to the USA are discussed, some people still don't grasp that Zagreb has no potential.
DeleteZagreb has no potential and Ljubljana and Belgrade have? Ok, if you say so.
DeleteIf it had, then would any airline already fly to zagreb! So easy to understand
DeleteWell United is the only US airline so if they dont fly AA or DL will also not...oh wait...
DeleteAnonynous @13.02 You are obviously not here because of the aviation. Enjoy your hate and good luck in curing your complexes
DeleteYou are really crazy, I am not a hater, iam telling fact! Since i remember, ZAG is in negotiations, but did anything happen? No! Do AA or DL show interest obviously not! You can tell me whst you want, doesn't matter for me, but these are facts
DeletePretty good stuff but I think they base route performance not on load factors but on profitability. I think flying with only half of the economy passengers is completely fine for them. That's what they have on many routes in Frankfurt and Heathrow and especially leisure routes where they send the 767s.
ReplyDeleteVery good results for Dubrovnik. An 83.2% load factor before the peak summer months is impressive.
ReplyDelete73% for long haul is not encouraging at all. Contrary actually. 83% is better, yet not good.
ReplyDeleteIt is. The route started on 30 April and had almost no passengers from Split to the US as these are mainly for people going on holiday.
Delete73% is surprisingly high, I would have expected 60%. The first 1-2 flights back to Newark have load factors of less than 5%. Then the next few have load factors under 40% then 80% etc etc
DeleteThese figures cover only the route’s launch and the shoulder season months. Load factor alone also does not determine a route’s performance, as yields are equally important. United has already confirmed Split’s return in 2027, so it is satisfied with the route’s initial performance.
DeleteI still do not understand who would even consider paying an airfare to fly on an old 767 aircraft. Maybe it is just me, but definitely would not even attempt to fly with them. Much better option to fly via Munich as the most flights from USA are on 350 or B787.
DeleteWell it is only you who doesn't understand.
DeleteThey pay to avoid landing anywhere. Plus United's 767s are in excellent condition and it's generally the case in the US. I recently flew a Delta 26 year old Delta B757 on a domestic flight and could not believe the plane was so old. In economy we had comfortable leather seats, large screens at each seat, USB charging, fast wifi... The plane actually looked brand new inside.
Delete"73% for long haul is not encouraging at all"
DeleteZaboravlja se činjenica da se avion iz Splita ionako ne može napuniti do punog kapaciteta zbog
prekratke piste!
Avio moze da se napuni putnicima,ali ne i sa kargom,a bez karga nisam siguran da su ostavarili neki plus na liniji sa samo 73%
Delete^ True
DeleteI flue with their 767 to Argentina and it was not comfortable at all. Plus the service and food in the economy was aweful. I mean they might be OK for those "charter" destinations, however those aircrafts are definitely too old and should not be used for tye transatlantic flights. They never use them on major Europian getaways for a reason.
Delete"They never use them on major Europian getaways for a reason" why is it so hard for some to look things up. Tomorrow they have 6 flights on 767s from EWR, ORD and IAD to LHR.
Delete73% is amazing considering they use a heavy premium product to Split where the Polaris product stretches way beyon the wings. Look at the prices.
DeleteDubrovnik has clearly established itself as a strong transatlantic market. The increase in both passengers and load factor is excellent news.
ReplyDeleteDubrovnik at 83% in the shoulder season is the standout figure here. There seems to be room for either more frequencies or a longer season.
DeleteUnited should consider operating Dubrovnik for a longer period. The city has become much less seasonal than it once was.
DeleteDubrovnik’s performance is no surprise. It has strong recognition in the US and attracts a large number of high spending American visitors.
DeleteSplit has a much larger surrounding population than Dubrovnik, but Dubrovnik is a far stronger brand among American tourists.
DeleteUnited deserves credit for taking a chance on Split
ReplyDeleteExcellent news for Croatian tourism.
ReplyDeleteIndeed. Nearly 30,100 passengers in just three months is a strong contribution to Croatia’s tourism and connectivity.
DeleteSplit will probably improve after another season or two.
ReplyDeleteThese results should encourage other US carriers to consider Croatia. Perhaps American Airlines could finally return to Dubrovnik.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Dubrovnik, there have been several reports indicating that the airport management has been negotiating with a few carriers for quite some time. American Airlines is one of them—and a primary focus—having reportedly expressed interest in returning. Of course, other markets are involved as well. The general takeaway from the situation is that carriers are saying: "There is interest and a desire to launch the route, but we are also in the process of fleet acquisition or renewal, so implementation will take some time." Naturally, there are other decisive factors involved in launching a route. However, regarding this specific factor, United has a significant advantage over others; with the world's largest aircraft fleet, United has the flexibility to mix and match and launch routes whenever and however it chooses.
DeleteBravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteEspecially Jasmin Bajić. He deserves the biggest bravo. Actually those whose puppet he is and whose commands he execute, letting foreigners take care of croatian market
DeleteIt will be interesting to see whether United increases Split or extends the season in 2027.
ReplyDeleteHopefully United will extend the Split season next year. Starting earlier in April.
DeleteA 73% load factor is a solid foundation for Split. New routes need time to establish themselves, particularly outside July and August.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how much of the traffic consists of American tourists and how much comes from the Croatian diaspora in the United States, if there is any on these flights.
ReplyDeleteI live in New York but am from Herceg Novi. I flew the Dubrovnik route twice in premium economy this year. Both directions seemed like 90lf and the no connection is amazing. Paid about 15% premium vs a connection somewhere in europe to TIV. All take that any day. I hate connecting.
Delete@admin What was the DBV load factor during the same period in its first year?
ReplyDelete85.8%, however, the flights began on May 24, rather than April 30.
DeleteThank you!
DeleteAnd flights were four weekly back then
DeleteMany passengers flying to Split probably still connect through Frankfurt, Munich or Amsterdam because of better frequency and lower fares.
ReplyDeleteWell obviously. Even if they had lower fares, one single 767 can't cover all the demand.
DeleteAir Canada entering Dubrovnik next year will provide an interesting test. We will see whether the market can comfortably support additional transatlantic capacity.
ReplyDeleteTrue. Real interest would be Air Canada performance, since they've introduced really significant capacity.
DeleteLooks like Toronto has more DBV-bound passengers than Montreal. Will be interesting to watch fares on YYZ-YUL-DBV compared to YYZ-DBV via key LH Group hubs in Europe.
DeleteIt would be interesting to know how the two directions performed separately. Seasonal routes can sometimes have very uneven passenger flows.
ReplyDeleteThere were 3.597 passengers from Newark to Split and 2.860 from Split to Newark.
DeleteThere were 12.499 passengers from Newark to Dubrovnik and 11.151 from Dubrovnik to Newark.
Dubrovnik numbers very neatly fulfilled in both directions. Thank you admin for all those interesting data!
DeleteAny idea how fights to Ljubljana are filling up?
ReplyDeleteThey just started sales barely 3 weeks ago. Come on.
DeleteHe just asked how the sales were going. Calm down.
DeleteHow would anyone know
DeleteUnless asked in a direct interview the airline won't disclose advanced bookings. And even if asked they will either say it's in line with expectations or exceeded expectations.
DeleteSplit Airport and the local tourism authorities now need to help promote the service in the United States. The airline cannot develop the market alone.
ReplyDeleteThe numbers are decent. We should wait for the full-season results.
ReplyDeleteUnited may be willing to accept a weaker load factor on Split if the route attracts premium leisure passengers paying higher fares.
ReplyDeleteIt does attract premium travellers. The aircraft they are using is premium heavy.
DeleteUA operate a high J for a reason, they are making money in the pointy end.
DeleteUnited Airlines should target Tirana, Albania for their expansion.
ReplyDeleteJasmineee!!! Dobro jutro! Šta ima? Pije'l se kahva? Kako idju Minken i Vrankvurt? Jel te bar malo malo sram?
ReplyDeleteOU should have honestly substituted 5 A220s for 2 A321XLRs. Could have done wonders for them.
DeleteWhat can the A321XLR reach from Zagreb for example, in terms of Croatia's main long haul markets? Genuinely asking.
DeleteNowhere, it would struggle to NYC and looking east where's useful?
DeleteNo, it wouldn't struggle to NYC. American is starting Philly to Vienna on A321XLR, which is longer service than ZAG to NYC. To the east, India comes as a logical choice, with significant number of both way tourists, and huge number of Indian, Nepalese and Bangladeshi workers in Croatia. So New York/Newark and Delhi for the beginning would make perfect sense and make money, too. Unfortunatelly, OU is hostage of tied Mafia and high politics and not interested at all in doing real airline business. Instead, they serve for mafiosos to fill their pockets keeping OU as LHG feeder, and as sanctuary for "deserving" incompetent Party aparatchiks. On expense of poor croatian tax payers, of course
DeleteFrom Zagreb, the A321XLR could realistically cover most of eastern North America but not Croatia’s main East Asian markets
DeleteCan cover from/to ZAG:
DeleteMontreal
Boston
New York/Newark
Toronto
Delhi
Mumbai
Possible, but more demanding westbound
Chicago
To the east, beyond India basically nothing, like China, Korea or Japan.
Thanks guys. That's good coverage in general but it's a pity it can't reach those important Far East markets. I wonder would 2 A330neos have increased costs too much if they substituted them for a couple of A220s.
DeleteHonestly I wouldn't mind if OU didn't fly long haul if it actually did anything with its short haul network and the new planes. But they have actually shrunk their network instead of expanding it since the planes arrived. Long haul could have really given their network a lot more feed and allowed them to launch new markets.
Pozdrav's fairytales as usual. What's stopping US airlines from flying to ZAG or IndiGo for instance?
DeleteNothing is stopping them but they have other priorities and larger markets, as well as different business strategy. Just because one airline does not serve a certain route does not mean there is no demand and that it can't be successful. If that was the case. There would barely be any flights.
Delete15.00
DeleteThanks for explaining instead of me. But you shouldn't have bothered- 14.56 is either Buzin aparatchik or Party soldier, advocating crime, corruption and incompetence in OU, and wider, probably for some small personal interest.
If ZAG was worthy of a longhaul network planes would be flying there. Lets look at who don't anymore, AC, EK and KE for example.
DeleteYeah but they suddenly got other priorities and plans now. Only real ones like Pozdrav know ZAG's true potential.
Delete16.29
DeleteService to Toronto operates with Air Transat instead AC
Service to Dubai operates with flydubau instead EK
Service to Seoul operates with T'way instead KE.
So, try again, because long-haul planes do operate there
16.37
DeleteTrue potential can be realized with strong home based carrier only. That's what I am talking about for ages and I will continue to, despite you trying to spit on anything I say
If my aunt had wheels she'd be a bicycle
DeleteWell, I'm happy that your aunt is not bicycle. But trying to be witty can't change disastrous reality of midget and shameful feeder OU which missed to use a single opportunity of cro market
DeleteI'm not denying that it's a midget, however with Croatia in EU, OU would never become strong home based carrier. JU needed years of unregulated state aid to become what they are today. Much larger carriers from much larger markets (CSA, TAROM, Olympic just to name a few) failed to become ''strong home based carriers'' with long-haul flights to Mumbai and New York let alone OU.
DeleteWe all know OU is a midget airline run by the "party" and managed by an idiot, but ZAG still has no worthy longhaul. EK, AC and KE are long gone and replaced by not a lot.
DeleteIf July and August were very strong, the full-season average for Split could still finish at a healthy level.
ReplyDeleteGood job!
ReplyDeleteRather than adding frequencies to SPU, United could maintain three weekly flights but operate them for an additional month at each end of the season.
ReplyDeleteWhen could we see United move the Dubrovnik flights to the 787?
ReplyDeleteThe most realistic window is 2028–2030
DeleteWhy?
DeleteI mean why don't you think it's not realistic next year?
DeleteWhy should they do it next year?
DeleteUnited is receiving more 787s and plans to phase out its 767 fleet by around 2030, with a substantial batch of additional 787-9s arriving from 2028. Dubrovnik could therefore move to the Dreamliner as part of that replacement cycle.
Delete