On a visit to Reykjavik many years ago, I briefly considered taking a day trip by plane to Greenland. I ended up deciding against it — it was a busy trip already — but I’ve regretted it ever since. It’s not like getting from the U.S. to Nuuk is easy, and as someone whose travel destinations gravitate towards the chilly and scenic, the appeal of visiting Greenland was pretty clear.
It’s about to get quite a bit easier for residents of the U.S. to visit a certain island in the north Atlantic. As Sean Cudahy at The Points Guy reports, United Airlines recently debuted a direct flight between Newark International Airport to Nuuk Airport. Cudahy notes that this is the first direct route between a U.S. airport and Greenland in almost 20 years; previously, Air Greenland briefly offered service to BWI, but ended the route in early 2008.
It sounds like the novelty of traveling to Greenland played a big part in United’s decision to add service there. Route planner Patrick Quayle told The Points Guy that United’s customers “want something that’s a bit different.” The city is also attracting some buzz for its architecture — though soccer fans hoping to see Greenland’s national team join CONCACAF and take part in regional competitions got some disappointing news earlier this month.
A Gracious Guide for Americans Visiting Greenland
Dial down your red, white and blue, for startersThat said, it’s also a somewhat fraught time for American travelers to be visiting Greenland, for obvious geopolitical reasons. It’s worth being mindful of some useful travel tips, such as those compiled by Nick Dauk earlier this year.
As someone long tempted by the appeal of Greenland and its largest city, I’m hopeful that United’s bet that U.S.-based travelers will be interested in this route will pay off. The Points Guy’s firsthand report of the flight has one other reason international travelers might find the route appealing: it’s just four hours in duration.
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