United Airlines (IATA: UA, ICAO: UAL) has introduced seasonal daily nonstop flights between Chicago O’Hare International Airport (IATA: ORD, ICAO: KORD, FAA LID: ORD) and Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos (IATA: ATH, ICAO: LGAV). The flights commenced on May 24 and operate until August 27, 2024, coinciding with Greece’s peak summer travel season.
The daily flights will depart Chicago at 4:30 p.m. (local time) and arrive in Athens 10 hours and 15 minutes later at 10:45 a.m. the following day (local time). For the return journey, the aircraft will depart Athens at 12:35 p.m. (local time), land in Chicago 11 hours, and 40 minutes later at 4:15 p.m. (local time).
Athens (ATH) – Chicago O’Hare (ORD)
| Flight | From | To | Depart | Arrive | Frequency | Aircraft | Dates of operation |
| UA 423 | ATH | ORD | 12:35 | 16:15 | Daily | Boeing 787-8 | 24 May – 27 August 2024 |
| UA 422 | ORD | ATH | 16:30 | 10:45 +1 | Daily | Boeing 787-8 | 23 May – 26 August 2024 |
The flights will be operated by the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, featuring 28 Polaris business class lie-flat pods, 21 Premium Plus recliners, 36 Economy Plus seats, and 158 standard economy seats.
In addition to launching the Chicago flights, United will resume seasonal service this summer connecting Athens to Washington Dulles International Airport (starting April 14 and ending December 3) and New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport (beginning March 30 and wrapping up October 25). The airline will increase its flights between the United States and Athens by 30% compared to the previous year. American Airlines is the only other carrier operating a Chicago to Athens route.
Besides Athens this summer, United will offer nonstop service from Chicago to 15 European cities, encompassing Amsterdam (AMS), Athens (ATH), Barcelona (BCN), Brussels (BRU), Dublin (DUB), Edinburgh (EDI), Frankfurt (FRA), London (LHR), Paris (CDG), Munich (MUC), Milan (MXP), Reykjavik (KEF), Rome (FCO), Shannon (SNN), and Zurich (ZRH). The overall transatlantic schedule from Chicago will be 10% larger than last year.
Commenting on the new route, Patrick Quayle, United’s senior vice president of global network planning and alliances, stated:
United continues to have the largest and most diverse network across the Atlantic and we’re thrilled to add another exciting destination for customers flying out of Chicago O’Hare to explore with our new summer service to Athens. With non-stop service to destinations no other U.S. carriers serve, earlier starts to our most popular seasonal routes and even more transatlantic flights for our customers across the country, United is the clear choice for customers looking to travel to Europe this summer.
Along with the very successful offering of metropolitan New York and the capital, Washington, the Windy City addition enhances Athens’s connectivity and provides even more options for overseas passengers with United’s top product. Since the beginning of the year, the U.S. market has demonstrated impressive growth and is consistently ranking at the top among the most important and popular markets for Greek tourism.
