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United restores PHL-Washington service to create ‘new connection opportunities’

Spirit Airlines will also add another flight to San Juan in March.

Travelers walk across a catwalk at Philadelphia International Airport. Airlines continuously review customer demand and make adjustments to the schedule, a United spokesperson said.
Travelers walk across a catwalk at Philadelphia International Airport. Airlines continuously review customer demand and make adjustments to the schedule, a United spokesperson said.Read moreTIM TAI / Staff Photographer

Service between Philadelphia International Airport and the Washington area has expanded.

United Airlines is resurrecting its PHL-IAD service, just shy of a year since it was discontinued, the airport announced this week. Flights from the airline’s Dulles International Airport hub, which will connect travelers to about 270 domestic and more than 30 international United flights, can be booked now. Service will begin in May, according to United.

“This service between Washington Dulles and Philadelphia opens up new connection opportunities for customers, allowing for greater access to the network of flights available from our Washington hub and delivering on our commitment to connect customers to the moments that matter most,” Ankit Gupta, United’s vice president of domestic network planning, said in a statement.

The return will offer four daily flights aboard a two-cabin Embraer 145 plane. United had service from IAD into PHL for “several years” before ending it in January, said airline spokesperson Kimberly Gibbs, who did not elaborate on the discontinuation.

“Our teams continuously review customer demand and make adjustments to our schedule as needed,” she said.

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United will be PHL’s sole airline servicing Dulles, while American Airlines flies to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, according to Philadelphia International Airport.

Additionally, Spirit Airlines is adding a flight between Philadelphia and San Juan, Puerto Rico, in March, the airport announced this week. The budget carrier launched the service in May 2019.