United Airlines has revealed it will add 20 percent more flying out of San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in 2025, reflecting its long-term strategy to re-establish SFO as a global gateway, according to Chief Executive Scott Kirby.

He said United is now larger in SFO than it was pre-pandemic, with capacity up six percent since 2019, and 20 percent versus last year.

“We’re winning more and more Bay Area customers because of our investments in the product, the experience and the places we fly,” Kirby said.

“Our growth in SFO is a direct result of United’s ambitious network strategy, which has set us apart from the competition and cemented our status as the world’s largest airline.”

United flies to 111 cities around the world from San Francisco and will offer approximately 300 daily flights this summer – the most since 2019 and more than any other airline in the Bay Area, according to the carrier.

The airline has added 11 new international destinations and nine new domestic destinations from SFO in the last four years, including reinstated service to New Orleans, Kansas City, Detroit, and St. Louis, as well as new flights to San Jose, Costa Rica and Panama City, Panama starting this next month.

A $2.6 billion airport construction project is underway, part of which is to modernise and expand Terminal 3 at SFO, paving the way for continued United growth in the future.

“San Francisco’s economy is on the rise, and tourism is critical to our comeback. Our city is a global destination – United’s expansion shows that people want to be here,” said San Francisco Mayor ,Daniel Lurie.

“These new flights will provide jobs for residents and make it easier for visitors to come here so they can experience everything that makes San Francisco the place to be.”

United’s hub in San Francisco is the carrier’s leading global gateway from the West Coast, with the airline adding more direct flights to Asia, Europe, and Latin America in the last several years.

San Francisco is also United’s fastest growing hub to Latin America, with new routes to Belize and Monterrey, Mexico added in 2024, and new flights to San Jose, Costa Rica and Panama City starting in May.

The new routes bring United to nine destinations in Latin America served from San Francisco, the most of any carrier.

In addition to the new routes, United is adding more flights to existing destinations this summer, including additional daily flights to Cancun, Los Cabos, and Puerto Vallarta.

United is the only United States airline to serve Europe from SFO, with a peak schedule of 11 daily flights to eight destinations.

Seasonal service to Barcelona launched last year and returns for an extended season this summer, building upon new service to Rome and a seasonal third daily flight to London Heathrow added in 2022.

San Francisco also has a more than 40-year history as the airline’s gateway across the Pacific and now offers flights to 17 different destinations in the Asia-Pacific region.

This northern summer, United’s SFO hub will have 4.5 times more seats on flights to the Pacific than any other airline from any other hub in the United States.

This week, United announced it is expanding its industry-leading Pacific network and making it even easier for travellers to explore Asia and Australia.

Over the northern autumn and winter, the airline is launching new one-stop connections between San Francisco and Bangkok, Thailand and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam via Hong Kong.

In addition, starting in December, United will add new seasonal-service between Adelaide, Australia and San Francisco, along with a second daily, year-round flight between San Francisco and Manila, making United the only United States airline to fly to both destinations.

United’s SFO domestic offerings are unmatched throughout the state of California, according to the carrier.

The airline operates the largest hub in the state, more domestic routes from the Bay Area than any other airline, and the most flights to all five of the most popular domestic destinations from SFO.

United offers three times more flights to Hawaii from SFO than its closest competitor and is the only airline with daily year-round service from SFO to four Hawaiian Islands.

“We continue to challenge ourselves every season when we announce new service to hidden gem cities around the world,” said United Senior Vice President, Global Network Planning and Alliances, Patrick Quayle.

“United keeps becoming the first and only U.S. airline to offer direct flights to these unique destinations, such as Rome, the Philippines, New Zealand and Belize, out of San Francisco in the last couple of years.”

A five-year, US$2.6 billion airport construction project set to be completed in 2029, which includes modernization and expansion of Terminal 3 at SFO, will pave the way for the airline’s continued growth and elevate the customer experience.

Through SFO’s Terminal 3 West Modernization Project, United will gain access to new common use gates to fit larger airplanes that can carry even more passengers on international flights, new United Club locations, a state-of-the-art lobby and checkpoints with industry-first features, a brand-new curbside area for an enhanced curbside experience, and an extra 200,000 square feet of space for more dining and retail options.

As United grows in San Francisco and around the world, the airline continues to lead the way on collaborating with industry-leading technology partners to add game-changing innovations that improve the overall travel experience.

“We’ve been an innovation leader for years, and we’re continuing to up our game,” said United Chief Information Officer Jason Birnbaum.

“We’re investing in technology – like our award-winning mobile app and Starlink Wi-Fi – that drives United’s amazing customer experience and puts intuitive tools in the hands of our employees around the world.”

As part of United’s broader effort to invest in emerging technologies that enhance the customer travel experience and decarbonize air travel, the airline is working with Archer to launch the first commercial electric air taxi service.

United Airlines is one of Archer’s largest investors and the company’s first customer in the United States.

Midnight is an all-electric vertical take-off-and-landing aircraft with the potential for short, back-to-back trips of 20-50 miles, while carrying a pilot and up to four passengers.

For more than 10 years, United has worked with Cupertino, California-based Apple to bring industry-leading technology to the airline’s customers and employees.

United was the first airline to announce a paperless flight deck for pilots with iPad in 2011, and recently integrated Apple’s new Share Item location feature with AirTag into the United app.

United has also equipped all of its employees with iPhone and iPad, and developed custom apps that enable employees to communicate easier, complete tasks more quickly, and provide a more seamless travel experience for customers.