On October 29, United Airlines began its first service between the Continental United States and the Philippines with a nonstop flight between San Francisco and Manila, complementing the airline’s Guam and Palau operations to Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The Bay Area boasts one of the largest Filipino communities in the US.
Flight UA 191 was operated by a Boeing 777 registered as N27490. The aircraft took off from San Francisco International Airport at 00:57 local time and landed at Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 05:50 the following day, after nearly 14 hours.
Flight schedule between San Francisco and Manila
- San Francisco – Manila Flight UA 191 SFO 00:35 – MNL 06:50+1 daily flights.
- Manila – San Francisco Flight UA 190 MNL 09:55 – SFO 07:20 daily flights.
The route is operated by Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with a capacity of 350 passengers (60 Business Class/24 Premium Economy/62 Economy Plus/204 Economy) and promotional fares are available starting at $1,210. Passengers arriving from Manila can access United’s extensive network in San Francisco connected to other destinations in the United States and Canada,
Growth in Asia-Pacific
San Francisco is United’s main transpacific hub, and in July, the airline made a major expansion into key markets in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan.
On October 29, United launched a second daily frequency on its San Francisco-Taipei route operated on Boeing 777-200ERs. The airline is currently the only North American carrier offering nonstop flights between North America and the Philippines.
On October 28, the airline began nonstop flights between Los Angeles and Hong Kong operated on Boeing 787-9s, complementing its services to San Francisco. United previously operated this route, last operating in October 2008 on Boeing 747 service. Currently, United is the only U.S. airline offering nonstop service between Hong Kong and the United States.
On the same date, United reactivated service between Los Angeles and Tokyo Narita, which will be added to the current service to Tokyo Haneda. Both routes will be operated on Boeing 787-1’0 aircraft.
See also: United Airlines will expand its transatlantic network by 2024
