United Airlines to Open 2 New Routes to Japan

New York, May 14 (Jiji Press)--United Airlines said Thursday that it will open two new routes linking the U.S. cities of Chicago and San Francisco with Japan later this year.

With the new routes, the U.S. airline aims to capture demand from the growing popularity of travel to Japan in the United States.

Specifically, the company will begin regular service with one daily round-trip flight connecting Narita International Airport in Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo, with Chicago from Oct. 24, becoming the first U.S. airline to operate the route.

The airline will also offer three round trips per week on the route between New Chitose Airport near Sapporo, capital of the northernmost Japan prefecture of Hokkaido, and San Francisco on a winter-only basis from Dec. 11 through next March. The flight will be the first nonstop service between the U.S. mainland and Sapporo, according to the company.

“Whether customers are dreaming of skiing in Sapporo, planning a business trip to Tokyo with some exploration added in, or an even bigger adventure across Asia, United gives travelers more ways to get there than any U.S. airline,” Patrick Quayle, United Airlines’ senior vice president of network planning and global alliances, said in a statement.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]