United Airlines announced that it will add a new flight connecting New York City (EWR) and Marrakesh (RAK). With this addition, United becomes the first, and only, United States based airline with service to Morocco; Royal Air Maroc also connects North America with Morocco. However, United will be the only airline providing direct service between the United States and Marrakesh.

United Airlines New York City to Marrakesh Route

Starting October 24th, 2024, United will operate a three times weekly non-stop flight between New York City (EWR) and Marrakesh (RAK). The new seasonal flight will have the following flight times:

Winter Schedule (October 24th – )

• UAxxx New York City (EWR) – Marrakesh (RAK), departing <unknown> and arriving <unknown> – <unknown> flight time
• UAxxx Marrakesh (RAK) – New York City (EWR), departing <unknown> and arriving <unknown> – <unknown> flight time

Note: This information will be updating as it is made available. 

Credit. GCMapper. United Airlines EWR – RAK Route.

United Airlines will operate its Boeing 767-300ER aircraft on this route in a three class configuration: 46 Business Class seats, 22 Premium Economy seats, and 99 Economy Class seats. The Business Class seats feature the Polaris hard and soft product from United in a 1-2-1 configuration. While there are only 99 Economy Class seats, 43 seats are Economy Plus, which come with extra legroom.

Credit. The Points Guy. United Boeing 767-300ER Polaris Business Class.

Credit. The Points Guy. United Airlines Boeing 767-300ER Premium Economy.

Credit. The Points Guy. United Airlines Boeing 767-300ER Economy Class.

Booking United Airlines New York City to Marrakesh Route

At this time, the new United Airlines EWR – RAK route is not available for either cash or award bookings. Here is an estimate of the cash booking cost based on the average round-trip cash price for tickets in November on United Airlines and Star Alliance partners for the same route (1-stop):

• Economy Class: $1,000 – $,1300
• Premium Economy: $1,500 – $1,600
• Business Class: $$4,000 – $5,500

While no United Airlines award space is available at this time, here is an approximate range for the round-trip point cost using DansDeals 2024 “Hidden” United Saver Award Chart as a base:

• Economy Class: 80,000 – 90,000
• Premium Economy: 110,000 – 130,000
• Business Class: 150,000 – 170,000

Final Thoughts

The North America to Morocco route, previously dominated by Royal Air Maroc, has a new entrant in United Airlines. However, unlike Royal Air Maroc, which only flies into Casablanca (CMN), United chose to fly direct to Marrakesh. This is a potentially brilliant move by United, as Marrakesh is one of the most popular destinations in Morocco and United will have no competition on the route. Hopefully, United makes this a year-round route and not just a seasonal route to improve aircraft utilization during the decreased winter demand for flights to Europe.