United launching nonstop 787 service from San Francisco to Dublin
As of June 5, 2020, United Airlines will offer nonstop service from its San Francisco (SFO) hub to seven European cities.
The carrier is launching a new flight from SFO to Dublin, flying daily this summer with the 787-8 Dreamliner. Service will continue year-round, though it's not yet clear how often United will fly between the two cities after the peak summer season.
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In addition to this latest addition, United flies from SFO to Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Munich, Paris and Zurich. The new Dublin (DUB) flight is intended to connect two global tech hubs, according to United's vice president of international network, Patrick Quayle — while flyers can continue on to other European cities, Dublin has become a key destination for business travelers, making the flight most appealing to Ireland-bound flyers.
The appeal of a Dublin nonstop to tech industry workers is key to the route's success — United currently offers connecting service beyond DUB via Aer Lingus, but it's unclear whether or not Ireland's flag carrier will be able to continue its UA partnership as it becomes more closely aligned with Star Alliance's chief competitor, Oneworld.
Beginning June 5, the new flight will operate with the following schedule:
- San Francisco (SFO) 3:55pm Departure → Dublin (DUB) 9:45am (+1) arrival
- Dublin (DUB) 11:50am Departure → San Francisco (SFO) 2:20pm arrival
United will operate flights 852 and 853 with the 787-8, the carrier's smallest Dreamliner.
Related: United's Plan to Add Polaris, Premium Plus to 787-8 and -9 Dreamliners
Currently, the -8 offers 36 seats in business class, arranged in a 2-2-2 configuration, but, following a fleet-wide retrofit set to wrap by the end of 2020, the aircraft will sport 28 new Polaris seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, along with a 21-seat Premium Plus cabin with 2-3-2 seating, 36 Economy Plus seats and 158 coach seats, all in a 3-3-3 arrangement. This latest Dublin addition should be available to book beginning later today.
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