With United's nonstop service, Madeira welcomes Americans, By Arnie Weissmann Sep 13, 2025
Very vertical, very green." Those were the first notes I jotted down as United Airlines' inaugural flight descended toward Funchal, the capital of Madeira, in June.
Madeira’s southern coastline is dominated by cliffs rising straight up from the sea. Madeira’s southern coastline is dominated by cliffs rising straight up from the sea. Photo Credit: Arnie Weissmann Those defining physical characteristics are in no small part why this Portuguese island receives 2 million visitors each year: its cliffs jut dramatically out of the ocean, and birds from three continents have seeded the volcanic soil into a lush carpet. In the middle of this 35-mile-long, 14-mile-wide island, peaks reaching 6,000 feet play hide-and-seek among the clouds. ...