United Airlines Bets on Japan With More Guam Flights
United Airlines is swapping Hong Kong for more flights to Japan from its Guam hub this fall.
The Chicago-based Star Alliance carrier will end service to Hong Kong (HKG) from Guam (GUM) with on Oct. 27, United spokesman Jonathan Guerin says. The Boeing 737-700 aircraft currently flown on that route will be used to boost capacity on routes to secondary Japanese markets, he adds, declining to name any specific cities.
The move is part of United’s continuous review of its network and not related to the addition of a second daily flight to Hong Kong from San Francisco (SFO) that begins the same day, says Guerin.
United is the largest carrier in Guam with nearly a 45% share of passengers in 2018, US Department of Transportation data via Diio by Cirium shows. The airline is scheduled to increase capacity at the airport by 5.9% this year.
The airline serves four destinations in Japan from Guam: Fukuoka (FUK), Nagoya (NGO), Osaka Kansai (KIX) and Tokyo Narita (NRT). The first three cities could be considered “secondary” destinations compared to Tokyo.
United has shrunk its Guam hub in recent years. It ended flights to Sapporo and Sendai in Japan, and Shanghai Pudong (PVG) in 2018.
