- Celebrates 70 years of service to Hawaii by adding more ways get to the Hawaiian Islands than any other airline
- Denver becomes major gateway to Hawaii, connecting more than 90 mainland cities to Honolulu, Kona, Lihue and Maui
- Beginning this summer, United will offer lie-flat seating on all flights between Hawaii and five United hubs
United Airlines (UAL) announced an increase of service on 11 routes connecting the continental U.S. and Hawaii, offering customers more flights between the mainland and the Hawaiian Islands than any other carrier.
Beginning December 20, United will increase service from its hubs in Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco to Hawaii. The airline will continue operating its daily nonstop service to Honolulu from all seven domestic hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., plus Guam and Tokyo.
“As we celebrate our 70th anniversary in Hawaii this year, today’s announcement carries a very special significance for our customers,” said Jake Cefolia, United’s vice president of Sales. “Our customers have asked for more ways to get to Hawaii, and by adding these flights we are thrilled to make Hawaii more accessible than ever for our customers travelling from the Midwest, Rocky Mountain and West Coast regions.”
Lie-flat seating from 5 United hubs
Beginning this summer, premium cabin customers on all overnight flights between Hawaii and Chicago, Denver, Houston, New York/Newark and Washington, D.C., will enjoy 180-degree flat-bed seats for a more relaxing and sleep-enhancing flight with custom-designed duvets and pillows provided by leading luxury specialty store and New York-bred retailer Saks Fifth Avenue.
Celebrating 70 years of service in Hawaii
The Hawaiian Islands are an important part of United’s history. With the maiden departure of a United DC-6 Mainliner from San Francisco to Honolulu in May 1947, United played a major role in helping to make Hawaii an easily accessible destination for tourism and business. In fact, United’s West Coast hubs in Los Angeles and San Francisco will remain the country’s largest gateways for connecting customers to Hawaii, and in December, United’s Denver hub will be another primary interior gateway to Hawaii, offering customers the ability to get to Hawaii from more than 90 destinations in the U.S. and Canada.
“United Airlines has been a leader in air travel between the mainland and Hawaii for 70 years and the airline continues to deliver positive benefits in our communities,” said Ford Fuchigami, Director of Hawaii’s Department of Transportation. “We look forward to welcoming more flights and visitors to Hawaii and another 70 years of partnership.”
“This combination of increased and enhanced service by United Airlines is fantastic news for Hawaii’s tourism industry, especially with the number of direct flights being added to Maui, Kauai and island of Hawaii,” said George D. Szigeti, President and CEO of the Hawaii Tourism Authority. “United’s customers anywhere in the nation will have easy access to all of Hawaii’s major islands and be able to experience our aloha spirit and diversity of culture and natural beauty statewide.”
Denver International Airport (DEN)
Beginning December 20, service between Denver and Kona (KOA), Lihue (LIH) and Maui (OGG) will increase from seasonal to daily year-round service. The airline will continue its year-round daily service from Denver to Honolulu.
| DEN to | Current | New Schedule | Starts |
| Honolulu (HNL) | Daily, year round | Daily, year-round | Now flying |
| Kona (KOA) | Seasonal only | Increase to daily, year-round | Dec. 20 |
| Lihue (LIH) | Seasonal only | Increase to daily, year-round | Dec. 20 |
| Maui (OGG) | Seasonal only | Increase to daily, year-round | Dec. 20 |
Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
Offering the only nonstop service between Chicago and Hawaii, United will increase service to Maui (OGG) to five times per week beginning December 20.
| ORD to | Current | New Schedule | Starts |
| Honolulu (HNL) | Daily, year round | Daily, year-round | Now flying |
| Maui (OGG) | Saturdays only | Daily, year-round (except Tu/We) | Dec. 20 |
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
From Los Angeles, United offers nonstop service to more Hawaiian Island destinations than any other airline. In addition to United’s five times daily service to Honolulu, United will increase service between LAX and Hilo, Kona, Maui and Lihue beginning December 20. United is the only U.S. airline with nonstop service from LAX to Hilo, on the Island of Hawaii.
| LAX to | Current Schedule | New Schedule | Starts |
| Honolulu (HNL) | 5 flights daily | 5 flights daily | Now flying |
| Hilo (ITO) | 5 flights weekly | Increase to daily | Dec. 20 |
| Kona (KOA) | Daily | Increase to 2 flights daily | Dec. 20 |
| Lihue (LIH) | Daily | Increase to 2 flights daily | Dec. 20 |
| Maui (OGG) | 2 flights daily | Increase to 3 flights daily | Dec. 20 |
San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
From San Francisco, United offers more nonstop service to more Hawaiian Island destinations than any other airline. In addition to its five times daily service between SFO and Honolulu, United will increase service to Kona, Lihue and Maui beginning December 20.
| SFO to | Current | New | Starts |
| Honolulu (HNL) | 5 flights daily | 5 flights daily | Now flying |
| Kona (KOA) | 2 flights daily | Increase to 3 flights daily | Dec. 20 |
| Lihue (LIH) | 1 flight daily | Increase to 2 flights daily, year-round | Dec. 20 |
| Maui (OGG) | 3 flights daily | Increase to 5 flights daily | Dec. 20 |
There is no change to United’s full-year 2017 capacity guidance.
About United
United Airlines and United Express operate approximately 4,500 flights a day to 337 airports across five continents. In 2016, United and United Express operated more than 1.6 million flights carrying more than 143 million customers. United is proud to have the world’s most comprehensive route network, including U.S. mainland hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. United operates 743 mainline aircraft and the airline’s United Express carriers operate 478 regional aircraft. The airline is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 190 countries via 28 member airlines. For more information, visit united.com.