Narita 2.0 Era: United Resumes Intra-Asian Flights with Service to Cebu

After seven years, United is resuming its intra-Asian flights with non-stop service between Tokyo-Narita and Cebu, landing at a second destination in the Philippines due to the success of the San Francisco-Manila route. Given the low demand for travel between Guam and Japan, the company has opted to use the Boeing 737s that operated the routes in that market in short-haul operations in Asia-Pacific.

Ads

Flight UA 32 was operated on a Boeing 737-800 registered N35260, which took off from Narita International Airport at 18:25 local time on October 27 and landed at Mactan-Cebu International Airport at 21:53, after four hours and 28 minutes.

“We are excited to offer a greater variety of travel options to our customers in the Philippines, with a one-stop connection via Tokyo/Narita to destinations in the United States and our unmatched network of connections to destinations in the Americas, including our hub in Newark with quick and easy access to Manhattan,” said Walter Dias, director of United Airlines Asia Pacific.

United landed in the Philippines in 1982 and currently offers flights to the Asian nation from the West Coast of the United States. Guam and Palau, the new service between Narita and Cebu is expected to attract many Japanese travelers, generating economic benefits through tourism.

Ads

The new service connects with flights from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Newark, Houston-Intercontinental and Denver to Tokyo-Narita allowing access to more than 200 destinations in North America. United aims to boost the cultural and economic relationships of the Philippines with the world.

United is adding new service between Tokyo-Narita and Asia/Pacific destinations in the coming months, including Ulan Bator, Mongolia (beginning May 1), Kaohsiung, Taiwan (beginning July 11) and Koror, Palau (beginning April 2). What’s unique about these new transpacific routes is that none are operated by United’s joint venture partner, All Nippon Airways.