United Airlines expects record spring break travel, with an international flair

United Airlines anticipates this year’s spring break will draw the most travelers ever, with a key twist that could benefit SFO: Gen Z travelers are often opting for international destinations such as London and Tokyo.

The dominant carrier at San Francisco International Airport expects more than 21 million passengers will take United to their favorite spring break destination and elsewhere between March 8 and April 21. That's up almost 10% from last year. 

The busiest travel day will be March 22, when more than 500,000 passengers are expected to travel, United (Nasdaq: UAL) said. The week of March 25 will be the busiest travel period of the spring break season, with about 480,000 people traveling every day of that week. (United advises those not traveling on spring break to fly on Tuesday or Wednesday of that week since those are just a bit slower travel days that week.)

Orlando, Cancun, Mexico and Las Vegas are the top three destinations when looking at overall spring break travel this year, with Cancun attracting slightly more people this year than in 2023.

But United suggests Florida may be taking a back seat to popular international destinations when it comes to Gen Z, defined as those 18 to 26 years old.

More than 30% of Gen Z travelers are spending spring break at an international destination, up 32% from the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

London continues to attract an increasing number of Gen Z spring breakers year over year. In fact, this year nearly the same number of Gen Z spring breakers are heading to London as those heading to Fort Lauderdale.

Another sign of young spring breakers heading overseas more often is seen in Tokyo returning to one of the top 25 spots for Gen Z’s spring break destinations. That’s the first time the Japanese capital city has landed in the top 25 since before the pandemic in 2019. Tokyo’s growing popularity is good news for SFO, a major gateway to the Asia-Pacific.

United is also making it easier for spring breakers from the Bay Area to get to popular European destinations. For instance, the carrier is resuming SFO-Rome seasonal service earlier this year, on March 30 vs. originally planning to bring back the nonstops on May 2. (United's nonstop SFO-Barcelona flights are starting on May 23, a bit too late for spring breakers, but they could benefit from those with similar summer plans.)

“We’re resuming several seasonal flights earlier this year as we continue to see demand for European travel extend beyond the standard seasonal peak and into the shoulder season,” United said earlier this year.