For many airlines, northerners looking to break the winter doldrums with a trip to a sunny destination make up a significant part of their business.
As they prepare for the winter season, JetBlue Airways JBLU and Frontier FRON have been battling each other with new routes to Puerto Rico while Delta DAL and Sprit SAVE have already announced flights to the Mexican resort town of Tulum once construction of the new airport finishes in January.
Related: Delta adds a route U.S. tourists have been begging for
While it may seem less exciting than the latter town's Mayan history and modern cachet among travel influencers, Florida is in the midst of its own hot moment — by the end of last year, the Sunshine State's population increased from 21,828,069 to 22,244,823 while there has also been no slowdown in vacationers seeking out its beaches, entertainment parks and warm weather.
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You can now fly to these new Florida cities this winter
This winter season, United Airlines UAL is promising to increase its service to the state by 20% both by increasing the size of planes and frequency of routes it flies to popular destinations such as Miami, Tampa and Orlando and launching new routes to smaller cities and resorts.
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"Starting on November 28, the airline will fly Boeing 737-700 BA aircraft to Key West International Airport for the first time in the company's history," United Airlines says in its announcement of its new routes. "Nonstop routes will include Newark/New York, Washington Dulles, Houston, and Chicago O'Hare. Northeastern Ohioans will have even more options for a Florida getaway this winter as well; United is expanding its daily service to several Florida destinations out of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport."
These include two daily nonstop flights from Cleveland to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers and Orlando as well as daily service to Tampa from the city. All of these will take place on a Boeing 737-900ER. The routes will start on Nov. 28 and will run throughout the winter as United gauges demand to see whether to make them year-round, bring them back for another winter season or cut them for more popular routes.
United also has its sights set on some snow-filled destinations
Other flights proposed by United include service between Chicago and Fort Myers, Denver and Fort Lauderdale and Chicago and Miami on a Boeing 777.
Outside of Florida, United is also planning to launch new routes to popular ski resorts such as Wyoming's Jackson Hole and Colorado's Vail, Hayden and Montrose/Telluride and Montana's Bozeman from New York's Newark International Airport.
Without elaborating on details, United also promised to launch new flights to Steamboat and Montrose/Telluride from other parts of the country in the coming months to reach those looking for ski getaways.
"We know that November is when most people start their winter travel planning so we're adding these flights to give customers more options than ever," Mark Weithofer, who leads United's domestic network planning, said in a press statement. "We've already begun to see record breaking demand for winter travel and whether customers are looking to unwind on the beach or hit the slopes, United is the clear choice for those planning their getaways."
