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The 10 longest (and 10 shortest) United Airlines flights

Zach Wichter
Zach Wichter
Aviation Industry Reporter
Zach has been interested in things that go since he was a kid. He previously worked at The New York Times and spent much of his time there covering the aviation industry, including contributing to the paper’s reporting on the 737 Max crisis at Boeing. He grew up in Bethpage, on Long Island, and graduated from Northwestern University in 2013 where he majored in journalism and gender and sexuality studies.
Dec. 30, 2019
•
3 min read
United 777 Business DEN-OGG ZGriff
The 10 longest (and 10 shortest) United Airlines flights
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Singapore Airlines made global headlines last year when it relaunched its Newark-Singapore flight. The 9,534-mile flight allowed the carrier to reclaim the title of having the "world's longest flight," bumping Qatar Airways and its 9,032-mile Doha-Auckland, New Zealand, flight out of the top spot.

Another title shift could happen in the coming years if Qantas Airways decides to push ahead with its "Project Sunrise" flights. The Australian carrier made headlines of its own this fall as it tested several ultra-long flights to Sydney – including from New York and from London – to great fanfare. Each would be longer than Singapore's current record-holder, and Qantas days it will decide soon whether to press ahead. If it does, flights could begin in 2023.

But have you ever wondered what the longest flight is on your preferred carrier? Or the shortest? Given all the buzz about long flights recently, we decided to see what clocked in as the longest and shortest flights for each of the 11 biggest U.S. carriers.

Sign up for the free daily TPG newsletter for more airline news.

What did we find? Today we look at United, the last in our look at the 11 biggest U.S. airlines. Its longest route on the December schedule is Houston-Sydney while its shortest is the 66-mile hop it operates between San Francisco and the Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport near Santa Rosa, California.

Previous: Alaska Airlines | Allegiant Air | American Airlines | Delta Air Lines | Frontier Airlines | Hawaiian Airlines | JetBlue | Southwest Airlines | Spirit Airlines | Sun Country Airlines

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Longest

  1. Houston Bush Intercontinental (IAH) - Sydney, Australia (SYD): 8,591 miles
  2. San Francisco (SFO) - Singapore (SIN): 8,433 miles
  3. Newark (EWR) - Hong Kong (HKG): 8,045 miles
  4. Los Angeles (LAX) - Melbourne, Australia (MEL): 7,922 miles
  5. Melbourne (MEL) - San Francisco (SFO): 7,857 miles
  6. Cape Town (CPT) - Newark (EWR): 7,819 miles
  7. Mumbai (BOM) - Newark (EWR): 7,790 miles
  8. New Delhi (DEL) - San Francisco (SFO): 7,688 miles
  9. Los Angeles (LAX) - Sydney, Australia (SYD): 7,489 miles
  10. San Francisco (SFO) - Sydney,Australia (SYD): 7,420 miles

Shortest

  1. San Francisco (SFO) - Santa Rosa/Sonoma County, California (STS): 66 miles
  2. Colorado Springs (COS) - Denver (DEN): 67 miles
  3. Milwaukee (MKE) - Chicago O'Hare (ORD): 67 miles
  4. College Station, Texas (CLL) - Houston Bush Intercontinental (IAH): 74 miles
  5. Monterey, California (MRY) - San Francisco (SFO): 77 miles
  6. Charlottesville, Virginia (CHO) - Washington Dulles (IAD): 77 miles
  7. Chicago O'Hare (ORD) - South Bend, Indiana (SBN): 84 miles
  8. San Francisco (SFO) - Sacramento (SMF): 86 miles
  9. Los Angeles (LAX) - Santa Barbara, California (SBA): 88 miles
  10. Washington Dulles (IAD) - Shenandoah Valley, Virginia (SHD): 91 miles

Source: United Airlines. Flights based based on regularly schedule flights during the carrier's December schedule. Next update: March 2020.

Note: This post updates and replaces a previous post that looked at the longest and shortest flights offered by United.

For more info about the airline, check out TPG's United Airlines by the numbers post.

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Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPG‘s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer.
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    Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.

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Why We Chose It

There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits.

Pros

  • 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
  • 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.