United Airlines has just announced plans to resume flights to Venezuela, after a nine year hiatus.
UA1046 Houston to Caracas departing 11:45PM arriving 5:30AM
UA1045 Caracas to Houston departing 8:00AM arriving 12:30PM
United will use a Boeing 737 MAX 8 for the 2,260-mile flight, which is blocked at 4hr45min to Venezuela, and 5hr30min to the United States. United’s 737 MAX 8s are configured with 166 seats, including 16 first class seats (marketed as business class on international flights) and 150 economy seats.
Here’s how Patrick Quayle, United’s SVP of Global Network Planning and Alliances, describes this:
It’s logical that American was first, given that it’s the strongest US carrier in Latin America, and Miami is also the city with the most demand to and from Venezuela.
That being said, it’s no secret why United is launching this route, and that’s oil, given the industry Houston is known for. As Duffy even outright says, this flight is “critical to ferrying oil sector workers into the country.” So I have to imagine fares will be very high, but the flights might not be consistently full, at least initially.
I am curious, it sounds like United crews will be overnighting in Caracas? Currently American crews do same day turns, while I can’t imagine any way a crew could work this in both directions, especially with the outbound being a redeye. Is the union fully onboard with this, or…?
Bottom line
United Airlines plans to resume service to Venezuela after nine years, with a Houston to Caracas route launching as of August 2026. The flight will operate daily with a Boeing 737 MAX, and is primarily about connecting two oil markets.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on One Mile at a Time.
