United Airlines Made SFO the Best Pacific Hub. And Then Found 3 Ways to Make it Better.

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines, the U.S. airline with the most comprehensive route network and the most trans-Pacific service, will further expand its global reach with new nonstop service from San Francisco to:

• Tel Aviv, Israel, with service three times each week beginning March 30, 2016;
• Auckland, New Zealand, with service three times each week beginning July 1, 2016, expanding to daily service in October; and
• Xi'an, China, previously announced, three-times-weekly service beginning May 8, 2016, for the summer season.

Each new service is subject to government approval.

The airline intends to operate the new flights with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the world's most advanced passenger airplane.

The Tel Aviv and Xi'an flights will be available for booking on united.com on October 10, 2015, with the Auckland flights available for booking on October 17, 2015.

San Francisco-Tel Aviv: Linking High-Tech Markets

As part of United's evaluation for serving San Francisco (SFO) to Tel Aviv (TLV) nonstop, the airline considered the opinions of thousands of customers who petitioned for the service through the SFOTLV.ORG petition effort.

"Providing corporate customers from throughout the Bay Area and Silicon Valley nonstop service to the high-tech market in Israel has been high on our priority list at United," said Dave Hilfman, United's senior vice president of worldwide sales. "Now with the 787-9 Dreamliner, we're delighted to make it a reality."

Flight times will be 14 hours, 10 minutes eastbound and 15 hours, 5 minutes westbound.

United has served Israel since 1999.  The airline currently offers twice-daily Boeing 777 nonstop flights between Tel Aviv and New York/Newark.

San Francisco-Auckland

United's three-times weekly service to Auckland (AKL), New Zealand's largest city and main transportation hub to other points throughout the country, will launch July 1, 2016, with 787-8 aircraft. The schedule will expand to daily flights operating with 787-9 aircraft on Oct. 28, 2016, in time for the peak-winter travel season.        

The Auckland flights will operate in partnership with United's Star Alliance partner Air New Zealand.  

Flight times will be 13 hours, 10 minutes westbound and 12 hours, 20 minutes eastbound.

United in San Francisco

From its San Francisco hub, United operates nearly 280 daily flights to more than 90 destinations in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia/Pacific.

United's 787 Fleet

United currently has 22 787 Dreamliners in its fleet and expects to take delivery of three more by the end of 2015.

About United

United Airlines and United Express operate an average of nearly 5,000 flights a day to 362 airports across six continents. In 2014, United and United Express operated nearly two million flights carrying 138 million customers. United is proud to have the world's most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates nearly 700 mainline aircraft, and this year, the airline anticipates taking delivery of 34 new Boeing aircraft, including the 787-9 and the 737-900ER. United is also welcoming 49 new Embraer E175 aircraft to United Express. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 192 countries via 28 member airlines. More than 84,000 United employees reside in every U.S. state and in countries around the world. For more information, visit united.com, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol UAL.

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SOURCE United Airlines