It seems United Airlines use of the Boeing 787 is paying off dividends with the airline planning to operate more thin and long routes = with the announcement the airline is to operate a service between San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Hangzhou’s Xiaoshan International Airport.
United Airlines Boeing 787-9 taking off – Image, (c) The Boeing Company
United Airlines plans to commence between 13th July 2016 on the following schedule:
UA982 DEPART SFO 14:15 ARRIVE HGH 18:10+1 UA983 DEPART HGH 11:30 ARRIVE SFO 08:25 Commences 13th July 2016 UA982/UA983 operate Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays Booked Equipment: Boeing 787-9 Subject to Government Approval - Tickets not on sale yet.
Hangzhou is the capital of China’s Zhejiang province – and will be the fifth location in China that United Airlines service.
It will also be the only direct connection between the two cities.
In it’s PR, United is upselling the Chinese features of its service including:
- Mandarin-speaking flight attendants;
- Personalized inflight entertainment options, including Chinese-language services; and
- A wide selection of inflight meals and beverages, including Chinese-style cuisine.
Eliza Lin, United’s director of Sales for Eastern China is keen to push United Airlines first and formost, stating:
“At United, we want to be the airline that our Chinese customers choose first,”
“We are bringing our customers in China and the U.S. the choice, comfort and convenience they deserve, and our growing trans-Pacific network offers customers more ways to travel between the U.S. and China.”
United will operate a Boeing 787-9 on the route, configured with:
- 48 BusinessFirst seats in 2-2-2 formation
- 88 Economy Plus in 3-3-3 formation
- 116 Economy in 3-3-3 formation
An interesting choice to say the least. Hangzhou’s Xiaoshan International Airport mainly serves regional and Asian destinations. International coverage includes:
- Hainan Airlines operates international services to Paris CDG and Madrid,
- Qatar Airways operate to Doha,
- KLM operate to Amsterdam.
3 rotations a week – whilst a commitment – isn’t too much of a risk if the route isn’t successful. It’ll be up to United Airlines sales team to make it successful…
Welcome to Economy Class and Beyond – Your no-nonsense guide to network news, honest reviews, with in-depth coverage, unique research as well as the humour and madness as I only know how to deliver.
Follow me on Twitter at @EconomyBeyond for the latest updates! You can also follow me on Instagram too!
Also remember that as well as being part of BoardingArea, we’re also part of BoardingArea.eu, delivering frequent flyer news, miles and points to European readers
Looks like this plane has a long layover in HGH.