United Launches Chicago-Key West route

In a move which seems sure to give greater consumer choice, United Airlines has launched a new Chicago O'Hare to Key West service. This new destination is in addition to United's existing New York (Newark) to Key West route.
The new service will be flown weekly on Saturdays (the Newark-Key West flight is daily).

The news is the first new route announcement by United in 2017 and brings the total number of flights per week between O'Hare and Florida to 142 (in the winter). United has taken delight in pointing out that their first 2017 route announcement has a distance of 2,017km.The Florida airports currently serviced by United are Tampa, Southwest Florida, Miami, Orlando, Sarasota, Fort Lauderdale and Jacksonville.The news comes after a week of mixed fortunes for United, none of which it could be blamed for:

The termination of the service from Belfast to New York (the last of its kind), a story about a baggage handler getting a free flight by inadvertently getting stuck in the hold, the tragic death of the actress Carrie Fisher aboard a United Flight from London to LA, and a disruptive passenger aboard a Sydney- San Francisco flight, causing it to be diverted to New Zealand.United Airlines is said to be assisting Fishers family to identify fellow passengers who tried to help her, so that they can be thanked personally.