United Announces New International And Domestic Routes From Hub Cities

CHICAGO, Dec. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines today announced plans to launch nonstop service on several new international and domestic routes beginning in the spring of 2013, including:

• New flights to Latin America from Chicago and Washington, D.C.
• New service to Canada from Denver, New York, and Washington, D.C.
• Additional domestic routes from Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

United and its regional partners will operate these new routes with a mix of mainline and regional aircraft.

"The addition of these new routes further improves United's already industry-leading network," said Grant Whitney, United's managing director of scheduling. "By launching new destinations and additional flights to currently-served points, we provide more convenience and options for travelers."

The new flights are consistent with United's previously announced capacity guidance.

New Flights to Latin America
United will begin weekly year-round service between its hub at Washington-Dulles International Airport and both Guatemala City, Guatemala, and San Jose, Costa Rica, subject to government approval. The airline will also begin weekly year-round service between its Chicago O'Hare hub and San Jose, subject to government approval. These flights, beginning April 13, 2013, will operate using Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 16 seats in United Business, 48 seats in Economy Plus and 90 seats in United Economy class.

These new flights will complement United's existing service to Guatemala City and San Jose from the airline's hubs in New York and Houston.

New Service to Canada
United will launch new flights between its New York hub at Newark Liberty International Airport and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, beginning on May 1, 2013. The flights will operate six-times-weekly, using Airbus A319 aircraft, configured with eight seats in United First, 40 in Economy Plus, and 72 in United Economy.

The airline also serves Edmonton from its hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, and San Francisco.

New service between the Washington-Dulles hub and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, will begin on June 8, 2013, using Boeing 737-800 aircraft, operating on Saturdays and Sundays through August 25, 2013.

United serves Vancouver year-round from Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and seasonally from New York-Newark.

On June 6, 2013 United will start service between Denver and Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, the only nonstop service offered from Fort McMurray to the United States. SkyWest Airlines will operate the daily flights using 66-seat Canadair CRJ-700 regional jets, with six seats in United Business, 28 seats in Economy Plus, and 32 seats in United Economy.

Fort McMurray will be United's 18^th destination in Canada.  United offers more flights to more destinations in Canada than any other US airline.

New Domestic Markets
United will also add new domestic routes from four of its hubs:

• Chicago – Daily flights between Chicago and Fairbanks, Alaska, begin on June 6, 2013, using Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Chicago is the second United hub with service to Fairbanks, following the addition of flights from Denver earlier this year.
• Denver – Twice-daily United Express service between Denver and Santa Fe, N.M., will begin on May 1, 2013. ExpressJet will operate the flights using 50-seat Embraer regional jet aircraft.
• Los Angeles – New United Express service between the Los Angeles hub and Wichita, Kan., will begin on May 1, 2013. SkyWest Airlines will operate the daily flights using 66-seat Canadair CRJ-700 regional jets. These flights are in addition to United's existing service to Wichita from Chicago, Denver and Houston.
• Washington-Dulles – United will add daily United Express service between Washington-Dulles and Grand Rapids, Mich. Beginning May 1, 2013. ExpressJet will operate the flights with 50-seat Embraer regional jet aircraft. United currently serves Grand Rapids from hubs in Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Houston and New York. 

These new flights will be available on United.com and through other distribution systems later today.

About United
United Airlines and United Express operate an average of 5,557 flights a day to 378 airports on six continents from the airline's hubs in Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Guam, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. In 2011, United carried more traffic than any other airline in the world, and operated more than two million flights carrying 142 million passengers. United is upgrading its cabins with more flat-bed seats in first and business class and more extra-legroom economy-class seating than any other airline in North America. United now has 180 airplanes featuring DIRECTV®, offering customers more live television access than any other airline in the world. United operates nearly 700 mainline aircraft and has orders for more than 270 new aircraft deliveries through 2022. In 2012, United was the first North American airline to take delivery of new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. United was rated the world's most admired airline on FORTUNE magazine's 2012 airline-industry list of the World's Most Admired Companies. Readers of Global Traveler magazine have voted United's MileagePlus program the best frequent flyer program for eight consecutive years. United is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 193 countries via 27 member airlines. More than 85,000 United employees reside in every U.S. state and in countries around the world. For more information, visit united.com or follow United on Twitter and Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol UAL.

SOURCE United Continental Holdings, Inc.