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. “Sapporo offers travelers an entirely new way to experience Japan in the winter from fresh powder for world-class skiing to a rich culinary scene with must-try dishes like Sapporo ramen and Hokkaido seafood,” the company said in a release, also referring to the iconic Sapporo Snow Festival. United Airlines currently operates various routes between the United States and Japan, including flights linking U.S. cities with Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and Kansai International Airport in Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, flying some 1.8 million passengers between the two countries last year. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]