United Airlines Launches Taipei and Expanded Tokyo Service

taipei, taiwanFrom March 29, United Airlines is expanding its trans-Pacific network with new service between its San Francisco hub and Taipei, Taiwan. The airline is also launching a second daily flight between Houston and Tokyo on March 30. 

United will operate both services with Boeing 777-200 aircraft. The aircraft flying San Francisco-Taipei will offer 269 seats – eight in United Global First, 40 in United BusinessFirst and 221 in United Economy, including 113 extra-legroom United Economy Plus seats.

The aircraft flying Houston-Tokyo will offer 267 seats – 50 in United BusinessFirst and 217 in United Economy, including 72 United Economy Plus seats.

In United Global First and United BusinessFirst, United offers customers seats that recline into fully flat beds, personal on-demand entertainment, in-seat power and USB ports, enabling travelers to rest or to be productive in-flight. Customers in United Economy also enjoy personal, on-demand entertainment at every seat and in-seat power.

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These Taipei and Tokyo additions come as United plans to introduce three-times-weekly Boeing 787 service June 9 between San Francisco and Chengdu, China, pending government approval. This nonstop service would be the first by a U.S. airline from the United States to mainland China, beyond Beijing and Shanghai. The company also plans to offer, subject to government approval, nonstop Boeing 787 service between Los Angeles and Melbourne, Australia, six times weekly beginning Oct. 26.

"With the most extensive route network, the broadest alliances and hubs in the largest U.S. cities, United offers travelers more choices to more of the world than any other U.S. airline," said Jim Compton, United's vice chairman and chief revenue officer. "The new Taipei and Tokyo services strengthen our commitment to the Pacific, where United is already the leading U.S. carrier, and to the San Francisco and Houston hubs."

San Francisco-Taipei Service

Beginning Saturday, flight 871 will depart San Francisco daily at 1:50 p.m. and arrive in Taipei at 6:30 p.m. the next day. For the return, flight 872 will depart Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport daily at 11:10 a.m. and arrive at San Francisco International Airport at 7:30 a.m. the same day. (All times are local.)

With the addition of Taipei, the airline will offer nonstop flights between San Francisco and eight cities in the Asia-Pacific region.

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Houston-Tokyo Service

Beginning Sunday, flight 1 will depart Bush Intercontinental at 9 a.m. and arrive at Tokyo's Narita International Airport at 12:35 p.m. the next day. The return flight 2 will depart Tokyo at 6:55 p.m. and arrive in Houston at 4:55 p.m. the same day.

The second Tokyo frequency complements United's existing daily Houston-Tokyo service, which began in 1999. The Tokyo flights offer convenient round-trip connections at Narita to the airline's flights to Guam, Seoul and Singapore, as well as to flights operated by United's joint-venture partner ANA to 19 destinations in Asia, including Bangkok, Hong Kong, Jakarta and Taipei.

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