Wayfarer TV: United Airlines to add new Morocco, Philippines and Colombia flights as Shanghai and Hong Kong also get major boost

by James Wilkinson

United Airlines has revealed it is expanding its global route network, adding new non-stop flights to Morocco, the Philippines and Colombia as the carrier also gears up to boost more key Asia gateways.

The carrier is launching new flights between New York/Newark and Marrakesh in Morocco, Tokyo/Narita and Cebu in the Philippines, and from Houston to Medellin in Colombia.

United said it will also increase flying to popular destinations across the globe including Hong Kong, Seoul in South Korea and Porto in Portugal.

Additionally, the airline will add four weekly flights between Los Angeles and Shanghai as the Chinese and U.S. governments recently agreed to increase flights between the two countries.

United’s Senior Vice President of Global Network Planning and Alliances, Patrick Quayle, said the carrier now has the largest and most diversified international route network among U.S. airlines, offering non-stop service to 134 international destinations across 67 countries.

He said United offers flights to more destinations across the Atlantic and Pacific than all U.S. carriers combined and in addition to flying to the most popular international destinations, United “has been a trailblazer in introducing its customers to off-the-beaten-path locales around the globe – including flights to nine destinations that no other carriers serve from the mainland U.S., like Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Christchurch, New Zealand; Dubrovnik, Croatia and more”.

“We have consistently been ahead of the curve in finding hidden gem destinations for our customers to explore and remain committed to providing the most unique slate of travel options for their adventures abroad,” he said.

“With our leading global network and elevated inflight experience, United has become the airline of choice for discerning customers looking for experiences they can’t have with any other carrier.”

Next winter, United will have the most flights to the most destinations in Africa from metro New York – and will be the only airline to directly connect the U.S. and Marrakesh – with new service from New York/Newark, launching October 24.

The flight will be offered three times weekly on a Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, equipped with 46 United Polaris business class and 22 United Premium Plus seats to provide options for an elevated travel experience.

This new service further expands United’s presence in Africa, building on the airline’s existing service to Accra, Ghana; Lagos, Nigeria; and Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa.

United also expands its presence in the Philippines with new year-round, non-stop service from Tokyo-Narita, starting July 31.

United will be the only U.S. carrier to fly to Cebu with daily flights on 737-800 aircraft, which will have convenient connections from United’s flights from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Newark-New York, and Houston to Tokyo-Narita.

United is the only U.S. carrier to offer transpacific service to the Philippines with its daily flights between San Francisco and Manila, and also flies to Manila from Guam and Palau.

For the first time ever, United will also fly non-stop to Medellin, Colombia with daily service from Houston on Boeing 737 aircraft, beginning October 27.

This new route expands United’s presence in Colombia, complementing existing service from Houston and Newark to Bogota. In total, United will serve 52 destinations in Latin America from Houston.

In addition to this new service, United will also expand flying to more destinations across the globe this year. The airline is continuing to rebuild its mainland China schedule, with four weekly flights between Shanghai-Los Angeles on a Boeing 787-9, starting August 29.

Further, in late October, Shanghai-Los Angeles will increase to daily service. This service complements United’s daily service between San Francisco-Shanghai and San Francisco-Beijing.

This enhanced service is enabled by the agreement between the governments of the U.S. and China to increase flights between the two countries.

United is also adding more flights to Hong Kong and Seoul, South Korea. United will launch its second daily Los Angeles-Hong Kong flight on a Boeing 787-9 aircraft on October 26, complementing its two existing daily flights to Hong Kong from San Francisco.

The airline will also offer year-round, twice daily flights between San Francisco-Seoul, starting October 25.

Additionally, United recently expanded its Tokyo service with a new route between Haneda and Guam, launching in May.

Across the Atlantic, United will add a second daily flight between New York/Newark-Porto, Portugal on a Boeing 757-200, starting May 23. United has more flights to Portugal than all U.S. carriers combined and is the only U.S. carrier to serve Porto.

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