United Airlines has scheduled new nonstop service to two warm-weather destinations beyond the Denver to Providenciales route we covered earlier this month. According to a mid-October report from Travel Off Path, United will fly Houston and Washington Dulles to Cartagena, Colombia, and Newark to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The report is from a third-party travel site rather than a United press release, and it gives no fares or flight numbers, so confirm the details in United’s booking tool before you plan around them.

The reported schedule

Here is what the report lists:

• Houston to Cartagena and Washington Dulles to Cartagena: starts December 17, 2026, four times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, on a Boeing 737 (the exact variant is not given). The report calls them year-round routes.
• Newark to St. Croix: the first flight is scheduled for October 31, 2026, with a weekly Saturday service on a Boeing 737-700.

The report adds that Newark to St. Croix restores a New York-area link that has not been operated by United or Continental since 1994. We could not verify that historical claim independently, so read it as the outlet’s statement.

The earlier Denver service is separate: United starts Denver to Providenciales nonstops on December 19, once a week on Saturdays.

What this means for resort trips

A new nonstop can change which destinations are practical for a short break. St. Croix is the main Caribbean beneficiary here. A weekly Saturday flight fits a Saturday to Saturday week well, but it also means a single day each way for arrival and departure, so there is little flexibility if you want to stay five or six nights. Check whether the airline’s day-of-week pattern matches the resort check-in days you are quoted.

Cartagena is a coastal city on Colombia’s Caribbean coast with its own mix of city hotels and beach stays. It is a different kind of trip from a typical all-inclusive week, so do not assume that all-inclusive meal plans apply. If you are comparing it against a Mexico or Dominican Republic resort stay, remember that the plan structure differs, and use our guide to resort meal plans to confirm what a rate actually covers.

Frequency shapes your trip length

The number of weekly flights is as important as the destination. A route that runs four days a week gives you several ways to build a trip. For Cartagena, the reported Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday pattern allows a Saturday to Thursday trip, a Sunday to Sunday week, or a long weekend, depending on which return day you pick. A once-weekly route, by contrast, locks you into seven nights or fourteen, and any missed flight means a week’s delay. When you price a trip, line up outbound and return days first, then look for a room rate that fits, rather than the other way around.

It is also sensible to check travel documents early. Entry rules differ between a U.S. territory such as the U.S. Virgin Islands and a foreign country such as Colombia, and they can depend on your citizenship. Check your passport validity and any visa or entry requirements on an official government site before you buy a ticket.

How to plan around a new route

New routes are useful, but they carry a particular risk. Airlines adjust new schedules often in the first season, sometimes cutting frequencies or moving start dates. You can see how fast this happens in our reports on Southwest cancelling a planned Las Vegas to San Jose route and on Breeze dropping Providence to Cancun. A few habits reduce the risk:

• Book a refundable or changeable resort rate until the flights have operated at least once, or buy flights and hotel separately so that one change does not trap the other.
• Re-check the schedule about a month before departure and again in the week of travel.
• Keep a backup connection in mind. A weekly or four-times-weekly service has few alternatives if a flight is cancelled.
• Read the terms of any package. Our guide on booking direct, through an agent or as a package explains who you call when a flight changes.

If a flight is delayed or cancelled after you travel, our checklist on what to do first sets out the order to tackle the airline, the transfer and the hotel. Travel insurance can matter on a seldom-served route; see what to check before you buy.

What is still not confirmed

The report does not say whether United will adjust these schedules in the new year, how many seats each flight offers, or what the introductory fares are. Nor does it say whether the Cartagena flights connect conveniently with onward trips. We will update this article if United publishes its own schedule or if dates change. For now, treat these as reported plans and verify them with the airline before you commit to a non-refundable booking.