United Airlines announced yesterday that it will introduce a thrice-weekly non-stop flights from its San Francisco hub to Hangzhou in China, beginning July 13. The carrier will use its Boeing 787-9 fleet to operate the service.
Hangzhou is the fifth mainland China city served by United, following Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai and Xi’an, which will run seasonally from May to October. This year, the Chicago-based carrier celebrates its 30th anniversary of presence in the Asian market, when in 1986 inked a deal with Pan Am to take over of its Pacific routes.
With 14 destinations in Asia, United currently holds the largest amount of capacity of any airline between the US and China. The carrier continues growing aggressively to keep its leading position. With its bases covered in the most prominent Chinese cities, the next logical move for United will be the expansion to secondary cities.
“We will offer customers unique nonstop flights between the West Coast and one of China’s fastest-growing travel markets. Additionally, customers traveling from China to the U.S. will find convenient, easy connections at our San Francisco hub to many U.S. business centers and leisure destinations” said Jim Compton, United’s vice chairman and chief revenue officer.
United schedules the service from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Hangzhou to depart at 14:15 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, arriving at 18:10 the following day. Return flights will leave Hangzhou at 11:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, landing in San Francisco at 08:25 on the same days (all local times). The flights will be available to book at a later date.
To date, United Airlines connects San Francisco with 14 destinations in Asia, and it will launch non-stop flights to Singapore next June, considered to be the longest scheduled 787 flight operated by any airline and the longest scheduled flight operated by any U.S. carrier, at 8,446 miles (13,593 km).
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