United Airlines announced a handful of routes and products in May 2026 that round out the airline’s summer push. The biggest news for travelers in the Americas is the return of nonstop Houston-Caracas service in August, after nearly nine years of suspension. On the product side, a dedicated Peacock channel joins the inflight entertainment lineup across 800+ aircraft. And the European summer routes United announced last October (Split, Bari, Glasgow, Santiago de Compostela) all started flying within the past three weeks.

The bigger Japan news from May 14 gets its own dedicated post: daily Chicago-Tokyo Narita and the first-ever nonstop continental US-Sapporo service. That article covers everything else in detail, including how to find award availability with AwardFares.

Key Updates in May

  • Houston-Caracas returns August 11: Daily nonstop service between IAH and CCS on a Boeing 737 MAX 8, the first US-Venezuela service United has operated since June 2017.
  • Peacock onboard from May 1: Dedicated inflight entertainment channel on 160,000+ seatback screens and via the United app. Launch titles include The Traitors S4, All Her Fault, The Paper, Poker Face.
  • Summer Europe routes now flying: Split (April 30), Bari (May 1), Glasgow (May 8), Santiago de Compostela (May 22). All previously announced.
  • AwardFares helps: New-route award availability tends to open in waves. Set alerts on the Caracas route now (single-segment, easy partner redemption) and on the European routes for late summer / fall when saver space typically loosens.

Houston-Caracas: First US-Venezuela Service Since 2017

United announced on May 12 that it will resume daily nonstop service between George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and Simón Bolívar International Airport (CCS) starting August 11, 2026. The airline last flew between the US and Venezuela in June 2017, so this reopens a gateway that’s been closed for nearly nine years.

The basics:

Detail Info
Route Houston (IAH) - Caracas (CCS)
Aircraft Boeing 737 MAX 8
Frequency Daily
Launch August 11, 2026
Cabins First, Economy Plus, Economy. Seatback screens with Bluetooth.
Wi-Fi Starlink rolling out (timing not confirmed at launch)

It’s a clean single-segment United-operated route, which makes it a straightforward partner-redemption candidate. Houston is United’s Latin America gateway (up to 100 daily flights to 50+ destinations in the region), so connecting from elsewhere in the US through IAH is easy.

Pro Tip

Reopening routes to politically sensitive destinations almost always launch with generous saver availability for the first few months while the airline tests demand. Set a Flex Alert on IAH-CCS for August through October if Venezuela is on your list.

United Houston-Caracas route: set a flex alert to find award availability.

New Inflight Entertainment Channel: Peacock

Starting May 1, United added a dedicated Peacock channel to its inflight entertainment lineup. The channel is available on 160,000+ seatback screens across 800+ aircraft, plus on personal devices via the United mobile app.

Launch titles include:

  • The Traitors (Season 4)
  • All Her Fault
  • The Paper
  • Poker Face

Additional series including The Copenhagen Test and Ponies are expected in June.

This builds on United’s broader IFE push: 1,600+ hours of content across 800+ aircraft equipped with seatback screens, plus the personal-device library. None of this changes award pricing or MileagePlus mechanics, but it does narrow the gap between United’s product and the airlines that have historically led on IFE (the Gulf carriers, ANA, Singapore).

New Inflight Entertainment Channel on United: Peacock.

Summer Europe Routes Now Flying

The European expansion United announced last October all started flying within the past three weeks:

Route Launched Frequency Aircraft
Newark - Split (SPU) April 30 3x weekly 767-300ER
Newark - Bari (BRI) May 1 4x weekly 767-300ER
Newark - Glasgow (GLA) May 8 Daily 737 MAX 8
Newark - Santiago de Compostela (SCQ) Late May 3x weekly 737 MAX 8

United is the only US carrier on all four routes. The 767-300ER on Split and Bari is the most interesting from an award-redemption perspective: lie-flat Polaris business class flying to leisure destinations where business class fills slowly, which usually means good saver award availability in shoulder seasons (late August onward and the back half of September).

The 737 MAX 8 routes (Glasgow and Santiago de Compostela) don’t have a lie-flat business cabin. Domestic first class only. Glasgow is a daily long-haul on a narrowbody, which is unusual.

Bottom Line

May was quieter than April on the loyalty side, but the route news is what matters for booking trips later in 2026. Houston-Caracas is the standout because it reopens a destination US flyers have been locked out of for nearly a decade. The European routes that started flying last week are already showing scattered saver availability for shoulder season.

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