United launched its international winter schedule this year with 50 additional daily flights compared to last winter, and has become the first U.S. carrier to fly direct from the continental U.S. to Manila, Philippines and will be the only carrier to fly between the U.S. and Christchurch, New Zealand, starting this December. United will also be the first U.S. airline to return to Beijing when service from San Francisco resumes on Nov. 9. In total, the airline will fly to more than 110 international destinations and grow its schedule by more than 25% versus last year, the largest winter expansion in its history.
To meet the growing demand for international travel, United strategically expanded its network with new and increased flying to key markets this winter, including:
- New service to Manila, Philippines and soon Christchurch, New Zealand
- New flights to Auckland, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Tokyo/Narita, San Juan and Montego Bay
- Daily service to Beijing and Shanghai
- Extended service to Athens, Barcelona, Rome and Paris
«United’s industry-leading international network has always set it apart from the competition, and we continue to find new ways to bring our customers the locations and schedules that they want,» said Patrick Quayle, United’s Senior Vice President of Global Network Planning and Alliances. «This winter is no exception, as we further expand and deliver unparalleled connectivity around the globe.»
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Historic Expansion in Asia-Pacific
This year, United saw an unprecedented surge in Asia-Pacific travel demand and continues to rebuild its network across the Pacific to serve this sustained strength in the market. The airline’s transpacific network is 94% larger this winter than last winter, with a historic expansion in the South Pacific, the rebuilding of its China network and the addition of 15 daily non-stop flights across the Pacific region. This will make United’s Asia-Pacific network larger than pre-COVID for the first time.
United is in the midst of the largest South Pacific expansion in aviation history, adding over 40% more flights between the U.S. and Australia/New Zealand for the winter season, compared to last year. This winter, United will operate 66 flights between the U.S. and Australia/New Zealand per week.
Key highlights include:
- First and Only Non-Stop Flight between U.S-Christchurch: Starting December 8, United will be the only airline to offer direct flights between the U.S. and New Zealand’s South Island, with the first direct San Francisco–Christchurch service.
- New Los Angeles-Auckland Service: On October 28, United launched its new Los Angeles–Auckland service, building on its position as the largest U.S. airline to serve Auckland.
- New Los Angeles-Brisbane Service: On November 29, United will become the largest carrier between the U.S. and Brisbane with its new service from Los Angeles.
United also continues to rebuild its network in mainland China. On October 1, the airline increased its service to Shanghai with a daily flight from San Francisco, and will resume its daily San Francisco–Beijing flights on November 9.
Across the Pacific, United’s network this winter is 61% larger than all other U.S. airlines combined*, with the airline adding service to key markets, including:
- First and Only Transpacific Service to the Philippines: On October 29, United became the only U.S. airline to fly direct to the Philippines from the continental U.S. with its new San Francisco–Manila flight.
- New Los Angeles-Hong Kong Service: United is the only U.S. airline to fly direct to Hong Kong, and on October 28, introduced a new daily flight from Los Angeles. In total this winter, United has three daily flights to the city from Los Angeles and San Francisco.
- Los Angeles–Tokyo/Narita Service: On October 28, United resumed daily, direct service between Los Angeles and Tokyo/Narita. With its existing service between Los Angeles–Tokyo/Haneda, United will now connect Los Angeles to both of Tokyo’s international airports.
More Opportunities for Transatlantic Travel
With transatlantic demand remaining at a historic high, United is extending some of its most popular seasonal routes to give customers more time to explore. This winter, United customers can take advantage of the following additional nonstop flights:
- New York/Newark – Athens, Greece: extended through November 28
- Washington-Dulles – Barcelona, Spain: extended through December 13
- Washington-Dulles – Rome, Italy: extended through January 8
- Second daily New York/Newark – Paris, France: extended through January 8
In total, United will fly to 25 destinations across the Atlantic this winter, more than all other U.S. carriers combined, and will be the only U.S. carrier to offer year-round, non-stop service to Dubai, Geneva, Edinburgh, Berlin and Amman.
Continued Growth in Latin America & Caribbean
For customers looking for warm-weather getaways, United has expanded its network in Latin America and the Caribbean by 30% this winter compared to last year. As part of its historic expansion out of Denver, the airline introduced two new Caribbean routes from the hub: Denver–San Juan, Puerto Rico launched on October 29 and Denver–Montego Bay, Jamaica launches on November 4.
United continues to add service from its hubs in Chicago, New York/Newark, and Washington-Dulles to destinations across the Caribbean, including Aruba, Bonaire, Grand Cayman Islands and The Bahamas.
The airline has also grown its network in Mexico by nearly 15%, compared to last winter and is now the largest carrier to the Riviera Maya region. During the winter peak, United will offer more than 200 weekly flights to Cancun from eight U.S. cities, the most in its history, including daily flights from Cleveland as well as service on its Boeing 777 widebody aircraft from Chicago, Denver and Houston. United also is increasing service from San Francisco to top Mexico beach destinations, with up to two daily flights to Puerto Vallarta and San Jose del Cabo.
United remains the largest carrier to Central America and continues to grow. The airline is increasing service this winter to some of the most popular destinations in the region, including San Jose and Liberia, Costa Rica; San Salvador, El Salvador; Belize City, Belize and Guatemala City, Guatemala.
*Excluding mainland China
