United To End Houston-To-Caracas Flight

If you want to fly United Airlines to Caracas, Venezuela, from Houston, you had better do it soon. The airline confirmed this week that it would terminate the 2,262-mile daily flight by July 1. Venezuela has for several years now been beset by political and economic turmoil, and the nation's oil industry has not been spared.

"In every market we serve, we continually review demand for service, and because our Houston-Caracas service is not meeting our financial expectations, we have decided to suspend it," United said in a statement.

United President Scott Kirby wrote in a memo last week to employees that the airline would continue to expand its route network "as long as it's working for the carrier." Caracas, evidently, did not fit that system.

As reported by Houston Business Journal, Caracas was added to United's network when the airline merged with Continental Airlines, in 2010. Delta Air Lines has cut back its service to Caracas to once a week from Atlanta, and American Airlines offers two flights daily from Miami to the Venezuela capital.

— Image: United.com