United Airlines has announced two new routes, with the airline becoming the first US mainland carrier to serve the Japanese city of Sapporo. United will become the second carrier from North America to serve the popular Japanese winter tourist destination, following Air Canada’s announcement to also serve New Chitose Airport (CTS), a region which is renowned for winter sports.

Additionally, United will connect Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Tokyo Narita Airport (NRT), also becoming the only airline to connect the two airports. This route will be offered year-round, while Sapporo will fly seasonally across the Northern Hemisphere winter season, and will be served from the airline’s San Francisco International Airport (SFO) west coast base.

Two New Routes Flying Nonstop To Japan

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Star Alliance carrier United will serve Japan with upcoming flights to Sapporo and Tokyo Narita, with the airline becoming the first carrier to serve Sapporo. These new services will offer even more choice for travel to and from Japan and North America, further cementing the airline as the leading carrier between the two countries. Last year alone, United flew more than 1.8 million passengers between Japan and the United States.

This winter, United will fly up to 13 daily flights to Japan, with more flights and seats available than all other US airlines combined. The airline will serve four Japanese airports, including Sapporo, Tokyo Narita, Tokyo Haneda, and Osaka, from its mainland US or Guam hubs.

Patrick Quayle, United’s Senior Vice President of Network Planning and Global Alliances, spoke about the new service.

“Our new nonstop service from San Francisco to Sapporo makes it easier to vacation in one of Japan’s most unique destinations, while our new Chicago to Tokyo-Narita service gives business and leisure travelers a premium onboard experience and the flexibility to continue their journey across Asia on United to exciting destinations like Cebu, Palau and Ulaanbaatar, or onward on our joint venture partner ANA to cities like Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.”

The Only Mainland US Carrier To Serve Sapporo

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United will fly to Sapporo three times a week from this December, departing San Francisco onboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner . Flights will operate from December through to March, with reservations for the new route opening on Thursday. This route is bound to be popular for winter sports enthusiasts for the world-renowned skiing and snowboarding.

Onboard the 787-9 set to be deployed on the route, four classes of service will be available to passengers, including United Polaris business class, United Premium Plus, Economy Plus, and Economy. All seats include in-seat power and WiFi connectivity.

New Chitose Airport, which serves Sapporo, is the largest in Hokkaidō and is adjacent to the Chitose Air Base. The airport is one of six in Japan that can operate 24 hours a day, and is one of the busiest in the country. Primarily, the airport caters to domestic or intra-Asia flights; a handful of long-haul international airlines now serve the airport seasonally due to popularity for winter sports, including Qantas from Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD), and Air Canada, which will commence its first nonstop service to the airport from December 18.

New Flights To Tokyo Narita From Chicago O’Hare

Credit: Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Announced at the same time is that United will commence daily flights on October 24 between Chicago O’Hare and Tokyo Narita. These flights will be operated with the airline’s 787-8 aircraft and will complement the airline’s existing service to Tokyo Haneda (HND). United remains the only airline serving Tokyo from the Windy City. Both All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Japan Airlines (JAL) already serve O’Hare from both Tokyo airports.

This new route will build on United’s already large presence at Narita, with the carrier utilizing the airport as its Asian transit point to a growing range of onward flights in the region. The airline already serves Bangkok–Suvarnabhumi, Cebu, Guam, Kaohsiung, Koror, and Saipan, while also flying seasonally to Ulaanbaatar.

From the mainland United States, United already flies to Narita from Denver, Houston–Intercontinental, Los Angeles, Newark, and San Francisco. Reservations for this new route are also expected to go live by the end of today.