United Airlines To Launch Embraer E175 Flights From Washington To Philadelphia

United Airlines has announced a series of changes to its services in the Northeast US. Later this year, the carrier will commence flights between Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). However, the new route will come at the expense of the airline’s existing route to Philadelphia from its hub at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), which will come to an end on June 26th.

From the following day, service between IAD and PHL will be flown three times daily, with flights operated by Republic Airways under the United Express brand. The airline’s Embraer E175s will be deployed on the route, each seating a total of 76 passengers in a two-class configuration – 12 in first class and 60 in economy class. In total, United Airlines will offer more than 13,000 seats per month in peak summer, according to data from Cirium.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

The new service will make United Airlines the only carrier to fly the route between IAD and PHL. However, American Airlines already connects the two cities, flying between its hub at Philadelphia and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) four times per day. The oneworld member will offer more than 9,000 seats per month on that route in July and August.

Newark vs Washington Dulles

United Airlines’ Newark Liberty International Airport hub offers passengers from regional airports far more international connections than its Washington Dulles counterpart. This includes an ever-growing number of transatlantic routes, such as to Faro (FAO) in Portugal, which will commence on May 24th.

Photo: Kevin Hackert | Shutterstock

However, flying from Washington Dulles International Airport instead will help to relieve some of the strain on the New York City area’s airspace, and will give United Airlines the opportunity to make use of its sought-after Newark slots for larger aircraft.

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Further changes from United Airlines

The move of United Airlines’ Philadelphia route from Newark to Washington Dulles comes at the same time as another three route swaps – Harrisburg International Airport (MDT), State College Regional Airport (SCE), and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport (AVP) will all be served from Washington Dulles instead of Newark from June 27th. United Airlines will be the only carrier to operate all three of these routes, all three of which will be served twice daily by CommuteAir.

Photo: Austin Deppe | Shutterstock

CommuteAir commenced operations in 1989, and today operates flights exclusively on behalf of United Express. The latest data from ch-aviation shows that the airline’s current fleet is made up of 75 Embraer ERJ145XRs, each seating a total of 50 passengers. In addition to flights out of IAD, CommuteAir also operates from two of United’s other hubs – Denver International Airport (DEN) and George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).

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What do you think of United Airlines moving four destinations previously served from Newark over to Washington? Do you plan to travel on any of the new routes? Let us know by commenting below.