United Airlines to Add Multiple New International Routes from San Francisco

United’s CEO Oscar Munoz at the opening of the Polaris Lounge at SFO

United Airlines announced on Wednesday multiple new international routes as well as the expansion of  several existing international ones.

“We are announcing today the largest ever international expansion from our San Francisco gateway,” said United CEO Oscar Munoz at a press conference announcing the news.

The Chicago-based airline is adding new non-stop service linking San Francisco to Melbourne and Toronto, and will add a second flight from SFO to Seoul. In addition, the airline will offer new year-round non-stop service from San Francisco to Auckland, Tahiti, and Amsterdam.

All routes are subject to government approval.

San Francisco is not the only United gateway to expect more new routes, Munoz said. “We’re growing across the system,” he said.

The airline is expecting a 4% to 6% overall capacity increase for 2019, it said, and it has added 122 new routes in the last two years.

United, a founding member of the Star Alliance is the world’s third largest airline based on revenue, after American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. It operates a large domestic and international route network, with an extensive presence in the Asia-Pacific region, serving almost 350 destinations with a fleet of over 760 aircraft.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)