Airlines and Aviation
United Airlines adds flights from its trans-Pacific hub in San Francisco to Chengdu and Shanghai during the summer peak season with connections from throughout Canada, the United States, and Latin America.
United Airlines will upgrade its thrice weekly service between San Francisco and Chengdu to daily service between 4 June and 1 September 2015.
Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwestern China. The metropolitan area has a population of more than 14 million people.
Chengdu is an important travel destination. Tourist attractions include Mount Qingcheng, the Dujiangyan Irrigaton System, and the Sichuan Giant Panda Sanctuaries.
Flying times between San Francisco and Chengdu are approximately 14 hours, 20 minutes westbound and 13 hours, 40 minutes eastbound.
United operates Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft on the route. The airliners have 219 seats, including 36 in United BusinessFirst and 183 in United Economy, including 70 Economy Plus extra-legroom seats.
World’s Most Populous City
The airline will also operate a second daily flight between San Francisco and Shanghai during the peak summer travel period next year. The enhanced service will begin on 6 May and end on 24 October.
With a population of more than 24 million people, Shanghai is the world’s most populous city. It is an important centre of industry and commerce.
Tourist attractions include the Bund, which is lined with imposing Western style buildings constructed in the 1920s and 30s.
Many of these stately old edifices have been re-purposed as hotels and shopping malls, housing fine dining restaurants, roof-top bars, and designer boutiques.
Flight times between San Francisco and Shanghai are approximately 13 hours, 20 minutes westbound and 11 hours, 40 minutes eastbound.
United operates Boeing 777-200 aircraft on the route. The airliners have have 269 seats, including 8 flat-bed seats in United Global First, 40 flat-bed seats in United BusinessFirst, and 221 seats in United Economy, including 104 Economy Plus extra-legroom seats.
The additional flights are subject to government approval.
The airline also flies nonstop to Shanghai from Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, and Newark Liberty International Airport near New York City.
In addition to Chengdu and Shanghai, the airline serves Beijing Capital International Airport with nonstop flights from Chicago O’Hare, Newark, San Francisco, and Washington/Dulles.
The airline also serves Hong Kong Chek Lao Kok International Airport with nonstop flights from Chicago, Guam, Newark, and San Francisco in the United States; Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City, a.k.a. Saigon, in Vietnam.
“United has the most extensive trans-Pacific route network of any U.S. airline,” says Jake Cefolia, United’s Vice President for Atlantic and Pacific sales.
“These new flights will further strengthen United’s presence in the region and will offer our customers unparalleled choice and convenience when traveling to China this summer.”
The airline has timed both the Shanghai and the Chengdu flights to connect conveniently at San Francisco International Airport with an extensive network of service throughout the United States, Canada, and Latin America.
United Airlines is the largest air carrier at San Francisco International Airport, operating nearly 300 daily flights to more than 90 destinations throughout the United States and around the world.
The airline offers more nonstop trans-Pacific service than any other airline hub in the United States.