CHICAGO, Oct. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines will launch four new Pacific routes next week, beginning with nonstop service between Los Angeles and Melbourne, Australia, and between San Francisco and Tokyo's Haneda Airport, on Oct. 26, 2014. Later in the week, the airline will also launch two new routes from its Guam hub – Seoul, South Korea, on Oct. 27 and Shanghai on Oct. 28.

"These four new routes further strengthen United's presence in the Pacific, already the most extensive among U.S. airlines," said Brian Znotins, United's vice president of network. "New nonstop service to Melbourne and Haneda from our powerhouse West Coast hubs, and the additional new flights from our Guam hub to both Seoul and Shanghai, offer our customers convenience and schedule options that no other airline can offer."

Los Angeles – Melbourne, Australia

The airline will fly the Los Angeles– Melbourne route six times weekly with the new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. United is the North American launch customer for the 787-9, and this will be the carrier's first international deployment of the aircraft type.

United has timed the new Melbourne flights to conveniently connect at Los Angeles with an extensive network of service throughout the United States, Canada and Latin America. United and United Express jointly operate nearly 200 flights daily from Los Angeles to more than 65 destinations. With this new service, United will provide convenient one-stop service to Melbourne from more than 37 U.S. cities.

United started service to Australia in 1979 and today operates more flights to more destinations in Australia than any other U.S. carrier, with daily flights from its San Francisco and Los Angeles hubs to Sydney and Melbourne and twice-weekly service to Cairns from Guam.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner

The 787 Dreamliner is revolutionizing the flying experience for United customers and crews while delivering unprecedented operating efficiency, comfort and lower emissions.

The 787-9's extended range – 8,550 miles compared to the 787-8's 8,200 – enables United to launch the Los Angeles-to-Melbourne service, which will be the longest Dreamliner route in the world to date.

The Boeing 787-9 aircraft operating the new Melbourne route will feature a total of 252 seats – 48 in United BusinessFirst and 204 in United Economy, including 88 Economy Plus seats with added legroom and increased personal space.

San Francisco – Tokyo/Haneda Airport

New daily flights between San Francisco and Tokyo's close-in Haneda Airport complement United's existing service between the hub and Tokyo'sNarita International Airport. Flights from San Francisco to both Tokyo airports maximize choice and convenience for customers traveling from across the Americas to Tokyo, and to points beyond on United's joint-venture partner ANA.

The flight schedules enable customers to use convenient public transportation between Haneda Airport and central Tokyo and Yokohama.

United also operates daily service to Tokyo/Narita from its hubs in Chicago, Denver, Guam, Houston, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, as well as from Honolulu.

United is the largest carrier at San Francisco International Airport, offering nearly 300 daily flights to more than 90 destinations in the U.S. and around the world, more service than any other airline from the Bay Area. United's San Francisco hub also offers more nonstop trans-Pacific service than any airline hub in America. The company currently operates nearly 30 daily nonstop flights from San Francisco to more than 20 international destinations.

Guam to Seoul, South Korea and Shanghai

In addition, United will launch two new routes from its Guam hub at A.P. Won Pat International Airport: daily service to Seoul's Incheon International Airport beginning on Oct. 27, 2014, and twice-weekly service to Shanghai's Pudong International Airport, the first nonstop service from Guam to mainland China, beginning on Oct. 28, 2014.

United has served Guam for more than 40 years, with United and United Express currently providing nonstop service from the hub to more than 17 destinations in the Asia/Pacific region.

About United

United Airlines and United Express operate an average of 5,100 flights a day to 374 airports across six continents. In 2013, United and United Express operated nearly two million flights carrying 139 million customers. With U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., United operates more than 700 mainline aircraft. This year, the airline is taking delivery of 35 new Boeing aircraft, including the 787-9 as the North American launch customer, and is welcoming 32 new Embraer 175 aircraft to United Express. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 192 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, follow @United on Twitter or connect on Facebook. The common stock of United's parent, United Continental Holdings, Inc., is traded on the NYSE under the symbol UAL.

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SOURCE United Airlines