United Airlines will be returning service to New York City's John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) on February 1, 2021 with nonstop service to the west coast. The airline describes its entry back into JFK after five years as a reflection of its “strong commitment to the New York City area” and “a continuation of aggressively and strategically managing the impact of COVID-19 by increasing service to and from the places where customers want to fly”. The new United service will operate out of Terminal 7.
Effective February of next year, United will serve both JFK to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and JFK to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) with two round-trips for each west coast city. The flights will utilize the reconfigured Boeing 767-300ER aircraft on the routes offering customers an extended premium cabin featuring 16 additional United Business class seats –providing all-aisle-access seating – bringing the total premium cabin seat count to 46. The aircraft will also feature 22 United Premium Plus seats, 47 Economy Plus seats and 52 Economy seats.
"I have been waiting a long time to say this - United Airlines is back at JFK," said United's Chief Executive Officer Scott Kirby. "Come early next year, we will be serving all three major New York City area airports with a best-in-class product to provide our customers unmatched transcontinental service from New York City and the west coast."
"United Airlines' return to JFK Airport is a clear sign that air travel is returning in New York and across the region," said Rick Cotton, Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. "As numbers start to rise, the Port Authority is ready to welcome travellers back to JFK, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia Airports with increased cleaning and sanitizing in all terminals and touch-free options from curb to gate to ensure a world-class travel experience even in these unprecedented times.