United Airlines Announces Fare Promotion for the Launch of Nonstop Hangzhou-San Francisco Service Three-times-weekly 787-9 Dreamliner service to U.S. West Coast hub from July 15 Fifth mainland China city to be served by United; first U.S. airline to serv

(Source: United Airlines)

HANGZHOU, May 24, 2016 – United Airlines today confirmed that it will introduce a special promotional fare for customers booking travel on its three-times-weekly nonstop flights between Hangzhou’s Xiaoshan International Airport and its San Francisco International Airport hub, effective July 15, 2016 (eastbound), subject to government approval. The promotional fare will be available from now until 30th June 2016 with prices as low as CNY 7,880 round-trip from Hangzhou to West Coast and CNY 8,880 round-trip from Hangzhou to East Coast in the U.S.

(Source: United Airlines)

If the service receives government approval, Hangzhou will be the fifth mainland China city served by United, and United will be the first U.S. airline to serve the city. United already operates more non-stop China-U.S. flights, and from more cities in China, than any other airline.

United will use one of the world’s most advanced passenger aircraft, the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, to operate the service.

“At United, our aim is to be the most flyer-friendly U.S. airline for Chinese customers,” said Walter Dias, the airline’s Managing Director of Greater China and Korea Sales. “The expansion of our trans-Pacific flight network with the recent launch of our Xi’an-San Francisco route and now the proposed Hangzhou service, together with our inflight services designed for Chinese customers and our presence on social-media platform WeChat, are evidence of our efforts to cater to this important market.”

Flight Schedule

Subject to government approval, flight UA983 will depart Hangzhou’s Xiaoshan International Airport at 11:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and arrive at San Francisco International Airport at 8:25 a.m. the same days. The return flight, UA982, will depart San Francisco at 2:15 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and arrive in Hangzhou at 6:10 p.m. the following days (all times local). Flying times will be approximately 11 hours, 55 minutes eastbound and 12 hours, 55 minutes westbound.

Convenient Connecting Flights

United has timed the Hangzhou flights to connect conveniently at San Francisco with an extensive network of service throughout the U.S., Canada and Latin America. United operates more than 260 flights daily from San Francisco to more than 90 destinations throughout North, Central and South America and the Caribbean, including more than 69 served non-stop.

Onboard Products and Services

The 787-9 has a total of 252 seats in two cabins – 48 in United BusinessFirst, with seats arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration, and 204 in United Economy, including 88 Economy Plus seats with added legroom and increased personal space.

United BusinessFirst offers a superior business-class service. The BusinessFirst seat reclines 180 degrees into a 1.98-m lie-flat bed and features a personal on-demand entertainment system with a 39-cm touch-screen monitor. BusinessFirst amenities include laptop power, USB ports and a multi-course meal with complimentary wines.

United Economy offers complimentary food, beer, wine, soft drinks and inflight entertainment. Seats feature an adjustable headrest and a 22.8-cm personal seat-back monitor delivering a personal on-demand inflight entertainment system.

United Economy Plus offers up to 7.6cm of extra legroom. Located near the front of the Economy cabin, the seats give the added benefit of allowing a swifter exit from the plane upon arrival.

Satellite-based Wi-Fi has been installed on all United B787-9 aircraft.

The Hangzhou flights will feature amenities and services designed for Chinese customers, including: Mandarin-speaking flight attendants; personalized inflight entertainment options, including Chinese-language services; and a wide selection of inflight meals and beverages, including Chinese-style cuisine.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner

The 787 Dreamliner is revolutionizing the flying experience for United customers and crews while delivering unprecedented operating efficiency, comfort and lower emissions. Customers experience greater comfort with improved lighting, bigger windows, larger overhead bins, lower cabin altitude and enhanced ventilation systems, among other passenger-friendly features. The aircraft’s use of lightweight composites, together with its modern engines and improved aerodynamic design, allow it to fly farther, faster and more efficiently than similar-sized conventional aircraft.

United was the 787 North American launch customer and now has 28 Dreamliners in its fleet.

United in China

United celebrated its 30th anniversary of service to China in February 2016. Today, United serves Beijing with nonstop flights to Chicago, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C./Dulles; Shanghai with nonstop flights to Chicago, Los Angeles, New York/Newark and San Francisco; Hong Kong with nonstop flights to Chicago, Guam, New York/Newark, and San Francisco; Chengdu and Xi’an with nonstop flights to San Francisco. United is a founding member of Star Alliance, the world’s largest and most comprehensive airline alliance, whose other members include Air China. United and Air China have a bilateral partnership that includes codesharing on selected routes and provides customers of both carriers additional travel benefits such as airport lounge access and frequent flyer program reciprocity.

About United

United Airlines and United Express operate an average of 5,000 flights a day to 336 airports across six continents. In 2015, United and United Express operated more than 1.5 million flights carrying more than 140 million customers. United is proud to have the world’s most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates more than 715 mainline aircraft, and this year, the airline anticipates taking delivery of 21 new Boeing aircraft, including 737 NGs, 787s and 777s. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 192 countries via 28 member airlines. Approximately 86,000 United employees reside in every U.S. state and in countries around the world. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United’s parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol UAL.