U.S. airlines aren’t particularly well known for making bold moves, especially in 2024. But that’s not the case for United, which announced a unique set of new routes this week.
Starting next summer, the Chicago-based airline will add eight destinations to its route map, many of which are not served by any U.S. carrier. Most notably, United will begin serving Nuuk, Greenland, and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
Nuuk is just a short four-hour hop from the airline’s Newark, New Jersey, hub, but Ulaanbaatar is one of United’s most remote destinations. Although the airline hasn’t finalized details on the route, it seems highly likely that the Mongolian capital will be served by a Boeing 737-800 from Tokyo Narita.
A Pacific Asset
Recently, United has been bolstering its intra-Asia network. Later this month, the airline plans to launch service between Tokyo Narita and Cebu in the Philippines.
Joining the new route to Ulaanbaatar next summer, the airline also plans to add year-round flights from Tokyo to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, beginning on July 11. In addition, the airline plans to fly between Narita and Koror, Palau, also on a year-round basis.
United also operates regular service from Tokyo Narita to Guam and Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands, both U.S. territories in the Oceania region. With its large presence in both Tokyo Narita and Guam, the airline is using these assets to its advantage.
United’s Tokyo Narita hub was a relic of Pan Am. In 1985, United purchased the defunct airline’s assets in the region.
The hub was much larger, too, even in the early 2000s with nearly 5,000 annual intra-Asia flights from Tokyo Narita. That figure fell to zero in 2017, according to Cirium Diio schedule data. United flew to several large Asian markets, including Singapore, Seoul Incheon, and Hong Kong.
Now, with much of its long-haul operations shifted to Haneda Airport, the airline is thinking differently about Narita.
Redeploying the Guam 737 Fleet
United has an advantage in the Pacific with its other hub in Guam. Stemming from the 2010 merger with Continental, the airline’s presence in Guam is perhaps best known for the “Island Hopper,” which connects the U.S. territory with Honolulu via up to five Pacific islands.
But United has long maintained a pilot base and fleet of specially configured 737-800s in Guam as well. Data from Cirium Fleet Analyzer shows 11 Guam-based United 737s.
These jets are slightly modified from the airline’s typical mainland-based aircraft with cabin signs in different languages, enhanced satellite communication capabilities, and an onboard kit of spare parts.
With travel demand to Guam still down after the pandemic, United plans to redeploy some of these 737s to Tokyo Narita.
“I don’t think we will be looking at flying widebody jets beyond Tokyo anytime soon,” United Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella told The Airline Observer. “But we have these 737s and a slot portfolio at Narita, and all the feed from the United States on widebody jets, and it created a unique opportunity. This seemed like something we would like to try, and the advanced bookings indicate that it’s going to be very successful.”
Tourism numbers in Guam are down by roughly half from 2019, according to the Marianas Business Journal.
