United Airlines is set to significantly bolster connectivity between Quito and Houston in 2026, rolling out higher flight frequencies and thousands of additional seats on one of Ecuador’s most important links to the United States. The move responds to a surge in demand for both leisure and business travel between the two markets and positions Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport as an increasingly critical hub for Ecuadorian travelers heading to North America and beyond.

More Flights and Seats Between Quito and Houston in 2026

Starting in 2026, United will expand its Quito–Houston offering with a stepped-up schedule that builds on capacity increases already announced for late 2025. The airline plans to move beyond the traditional pattern of one daily roundtrip, committing to a more robust timetable that includes periods with multiple daily departures in each direction. This represents a structural shift in the way United serves Ecuador, turning the Quito–Houston link into a higher-frequency corridor designed to absorb strong and rising demand.

According to recent industry reporting, United’s 2026 plan includes an increase in weekly departures from seven to nine starting March 29, with the airline further ramping up to 12 weekly flights during the peak travel window from late May through early September. That peak schedule effectively brings the service close to double-daily operations on several days of the week, offering travelers more choice in departure times and better same-day connectivity at Houston to destinations throughout the United States.

Overall, the expansion translates into roughly 27,000 extra seats in the Quito–United States market over the course of the 2026 season. For an origin-and-destination pair of this size, that is a substantial injection of capacity, signaling United’s confidence in sustained growth from Ecuador and its determination to defend and strengthen its presence in a market where U.S. carriers and regional airlines are competing aggressively.

From Seasonal Boosts to a Strategically Expanded Route

United’s growth on the Quito–Houston route does not come out of the blue. The carrier has been testing higher-capacity patterns in recent seasons, particularly around northern summer peaks. In 2025, United is already scheduled to operate additional frequencies between May and August, returning to nine weekly flights to Quito for the busy travel months. Those seasonal boosts have functioned as a proving ground, allowing the airline to gauge demand and adjust its fleet plans for 2026.

In parallel, United has made notable aircraft changes on the Ecuador route, shifting to the Boeing 737 MAX family for its Quito operations. This modern narrowbody type offers more seats and improved fuel efficiency compared with older 737 variants, effectively increasing capacity even before additional frequencies are layered on. Combined with denser scheduling, the fleet upgrade has paved the way for the sharper capacity climb planned for 2026.

The transition from ad hoc, seasonal boosts to a clearly signaled, multi-month expansion in 2026 underscores how central Quito has become within United’s Latin America strategy. Rather than relying solely on short-lived summer uplifts or holiday peaks, the airline is now using consistent frequency increases, along with a larger aircraft mix, to anchor a more permanent share of the Ecuador–U.S. market.

Double-Daily Patterns and Enhanced Connectivity via Houston

The expanded Quito–Houston schedule in late 2025 and into 2026 brings the route close to a double-daily pattern during critical travel windows. Recent schedule filings show two daily departures from Quito to Houston on many days, at approximately 01:35 and 08:00 local time, with corresponding late-afternoon and late-night departures from Houston back to Ecuador. This structure is designed to plug cleanly into United’s connecting banks at George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

For travelers departing Quito in the early morning and arriving in Houston before midday, a broad array of onward connections opens up, including major business and leisure destinations across the United States such as New York, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, and Orlando. The late-night Quito departure that lands in Houston at dawn similarly supports morning connection banks, making it easier for passengers to complete long itineraries in a single day.

On the southbound side, evening and late-evening departures from Houston toward Quito create convenient options for U.S.-based travelers. Passengers can finish a workday in cities across the United States, connect through Houston in the afternoon or evening, and arrive in Quito either late at night or early the next morning. This timing is particularly attractive for corporate travelers shuttling between energy, logistics, and engineering sectors in Houston and government or commercial centers in Quito.

Growing Demand Driven by Tourism, Trade and the Diaspora

The decision to expand frequency on the Quito–Houston route reflects a broader uptick in demand connecting Ecuador to the United States. Ecuador has been gaining visibility as a destination for nature travel and adventure tourism, thanks to marquee attractions such as the Galápagos Islands, the Andean highlands, and cloud forests accessible from Quito. More seats into the country’s capital make it easier for tour operators and individual travelers from across North America to build trips that start or end in Quito with efficient connections through Houston.

At the same time, economic and trade ties between Ecuador and the United States have been deepening, encouraging more frequent travel by business executives, technical specialists, and small and medium-sized enterprise owners. Houston’s role as a hub for the energy industry, logistics, and healthcare makes it a particularly logical gateway for Ecuadorian companies looking to build partnerships or access North American markets.

A further pillar of demand is the sizable Ecuadorian diaspora living in the United States, particularly in large metropolitan areas on the East Coast and in Texas. For these travelers, additional frequencies mean easier access to family visits and the flexibility to adjust travel dates without facing extreme fare volatility. More options on a nonstop route to a major hub can also reduce the need for lengthy layovers or multiple connections, which is especially valuable for family travelers with children or elderly relatives.

United’s expansion on the Quito–Houston route comes at a time when other major U.S. carriers are also reinforcing their presence in Ecuador. American Airlines has announced plans to increase service between Quito and Miami, ultimately moving toward two daily flights on that key corridor. The Miami gateway serves as a powerful connecting point to the eastern United States and the Caribbean, intensifying competition for Ecuador–U.S. traffic.

Regional carriers, including Avianca and other Latin American airlines, are also active on Ecuador–U.S. flows, offering one-stop options that connect Quito through hubs such as San Salvador, Bogotá, and Mexico City. While these itineraries can sometimes offer attractive pricing, United’s nonstop service to Houston retains a time advantage and the convenience of a single flight segment between Ecuador and the United States.

In Houston itself, competition for Latin America traffic is heating up. Low-cost and ultra-low-cost carriers are opening new routes from George Bush Intercontinental to Central American cities, broadening traveler awareness of Houston as a hub for Latin America. United’s decision to reinforce its Quito schedule in 2026 can be seen in part as a response to this competitive context, ensuring that the carrier stays ahead in markets where demand is growing and low-cost rivals are becoming more visible.

Aircraft, Schedule Design and Passenger Experience

On the operational side, United plans to continue deploying narrowbody aircraft such as the Boeing 737 MAX and, at certain times, the Boeing 757 on the Quito–Houston route. These aircraft types have the range and performance needed to handle Quito’s high-altitude conditions while still delivering fuel efficiency and competitive unit costs. The 737 MAX configuration used in Ecuador typically includes a premium cabin and extra-legroom economy, alongside standard economy seating.

With the expanded 2026 schedule, passengers will benefit not only from more seat availability but from improved choice in cabin products. Business travelers, in particular, stand to gain from the ability to secure premium seats on a wider range of dates and departure times, reducing the likelihood of sold-out cabins during peak travel periods. For leisure travelers, additional capacity can help moderate fare pressure on popular dates, especially around school holidays and summer breaks in the northern hemisphere.

Schedule design is also central to the passenger experience. By aligning Quito departures and arrivals with United’s main connection banks in Houston, the airline can offer shorter overall journey times and reduce overnight layovers for many itineraries. This coordination is especially visible during the planned 12-flights-per-week peak window in mid-2026, when multiple departures per day in each direction give travelers more control over when they start and finish their journeys.

Implications for Quito as a Regional Air Gateway

The stepped-up Quito–Houston service is part of a broader transformation in Quito’s role within South American aviation. Mariscal Sucre International Airport has steadily grown its long-haul and medium-haul international offerings, turning the Ecuadorian capital into a more significant gateway for both inbound tourism and outbound business travel. United’s expanded schedule, alongside enhanced operations by other U.S. and regional carriers, further elevates Quito’s profile in the Americas route network.

For Ecuador’s tourism authorities and airport operators, the 2026 expansion presents both an opportunity and a challenge. Higher frequencies from a global network carrier like United make it easier to market Ecuador as an accessible destination to U.S.-based travelers, tour operators, and conference organizers. At the same time, the increased traffic demands continued investment in airport facilities, customs and immigration processing, and surface transport links into the city and surrounding regions.

Local tourism businesses, including hotels, tour operators, and ground transport providers, are likely to plan for a busier calendar in 2026 as more seats come onto the market between Quito and Houston. For many of these firms, consistent, year-round capacity is more valuable than short, sharp seasonal spikes, as it allows them to maintain staff and service levels without dramatic swings in demand. United’s multi-month frequency increases, anchored around a structured 2026 schedule, move the Quito–Houston route closer to that ideal.

What Travelers Can Expect in the 2026 Travel Season

For travelers planning ahead, the key takeaway is clear: 2026 will offer more ways to fly between Quito and Houston, with greater flexibility across dates, times, and cabin choices. During the highest-demand months from late May to early September, near double-daily options on several days of the week should make it easier to find seats even during peak holiday periods. Outside that core window, the shift from seven to nine weekly flights still represents a meaningful expansion in availability.

Those connecting beyond Houston will also benefit. As United grows its wider 2026 winter and summer schedules across North America, Latin America, and beyond, additional Quito–Houston frequencies give Ecuadorian travelers more one-stop pathways to cities that previously required two or more connections. The enhanced schedule is poised to mesh with new and expanded United routes elsewhere, creating a denser web of connectivity anchored in Houston.

Ultimately, United Airlines’ decision to significantly expand Quito–Houston service in 2026 underscores the airline’s long-term commitment to the Ecuador market. By combining more flights, more seats, and more carefully timed connections, the carrier is betting that demand for travel between Ecuador and the United States will continue its upward trajectory, and that Houston will remain one of the most important bridges between the two countries.