Korean Air connects Seoul with Houston

Korean Air has begun new daily nonstop services between Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and Incheon International Airport in Seoul. 
 

Source: Korean Air. The first 777-200 aircraft touches down in Houston on May 2.

Said John Jackson, Korean Air Vice President, Passenger Marketing and Sales, Regional Headquarters, The Americas: "There are enormous opportunities here and we are proud and honoured to be a part of the dynamic Houston business community."

Nonstop flights connecting the two destinations will depart from the Terminal D facility at George Bush Intercontinental Airport every morning at 10:40 am (CST Houston time), with the return flight departing Seoul at 9:10 am local time at Incheon International Airport. 

"Houston shares a deep connection with the Asian region of the world, a fact that benefits our city both economically as well as culturally," Houston Mayor Annise Parker says. "This new service from Korean Air will allow that connection to grow even stronger and that's cause for celebration on both sides of the route map."  
 

The Asian demographic in Houston has grown by 70% over the past decade. This growth rate tops the levels found in traditional Asian hubs in US cities such as New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle.

Korean Air, a member of the SkyTeam Alliance, already operates nonstop flights in those four cities along with these other key gateway airports found throughout the Americas: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Sao Paulo, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington, DC. The airline serves more than 24 million passengers on an annual basis through flights that span six continents today, making it one of the world's 20 busiest airlines.

Flight	Route	Departure	Arrival	Frequency	Aircraft
KE 30	Houston - Seoul	10:40 am	3:30 pm +1	Daily	B777-200
KE 29	Seoul - Houston	9:10 am	8:40 am +1	Daily	B777-200

*All times are local. "+1" stands for next-day arrival

United expands trans-Pacific routes with Taipei, Tokyo connections with in-seat power

United Airlines is expanding its trans-Pacific network with the connection of its San Francisco hub with Taipei, Taiwan, beginning March 29, and launching a second daily flight between Houston and Tokyo on March 30. Services to China and Australia are in the pipeline.
  

"With the most extensive route network, the broadest alliances and hubs in the largest US cities, United offers travelers more choices to more of the world than any other US airline," said Jim Compton, United's Vice Chairman and Chief Revenue Officer. 

"The new Taipei and Tokyo services strengthen our commitment to the Pacific, where United is already the leading US carrier, and to the San Francisco and Houston hubs."

With the addition of Taipei, the airline will offer nonstop flights between San Francisco and eight cities in the Asia-Pacific region. United will operate the Taipei and Tokyo services with Boeing 777-200 aircraft. The aircraft flying San Francisco-Taipei will offer 269 seats – eight in United Global First, 40 in United BusinessFirst and 221 in United Economy, including 113 extra-legroom United Economy Plus seats. The aircraft flying Houston-Tokyo will offer 267 seats – 50 in United BusinessFirst and 217 in United Economy, including 72 United Economy Plus seats. 
 
United is the only US airline to offer flat-bed seats in its premium cabins on every long-haul, international flight from the continental United States. The airline also offers more extra-legroom economy seating than any US airline. The United Global First and United BusinessFirst classes offer seats that recline into fully flat beds, personal on-demand entertainment, in-seat power and USB ports. Customers in United Economy also enjoy in-seat power and personal, on-demand entertainment at every seat.

These Taipei and Tokyo additions come as United plans to introduce three-times-weekly Boeing 787 service June 9 between San Francisco and Chengdu, China, pending government approval. This nonstop service would be the first by a US airline from the United States to mainland China, beyond Beijing and Shanghai. 

The company also plans to offer, subject to government approval, nonstop Boeing 787 service between Los Angeles and Melbourne, Australia, six times weekly beginning October 26.

San Francisco-Taipei Service

Flight 871 will depart San Francisco daily at 1.50 pm and arrive in Taipei at 6.30 pm the next day. Flight 872 will depart Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport daily at 11.10 am and arrive at San Francisco International Airport at 7.30 am the same day (all local times).

United is the largest carrier at San Francisco International Airport, offering nearly 300 daily flights to more than 90 destinations worldwide, more than any other airline from the Bay Area. From its San Francisco hub, United also offers more nonstop trans-Pacific service to and from the United States than any other airline, with nonstop flights to Taipei, Beijing, Hong Kong, Osaka, Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai and Sydney. 
 

Houston-Tokyo Service

Beginning Sunday, March 30, Flight 1 will depart Bush Intercontinental at 9 am and arrive at Tokyo's Narita International Airport at 12.35 pm the next day. The return flight 2 will depart Tokyo at 6.55 pm and arrive in Houston at 4.55 pm the same day (all local times).

The second Tokyo flight complements United's existing daily Houston-Tokyo service, which began in 1999. The Tokyo flights offer convenient round-trip connections at Narita to the airline's flights to Guam, Seoul and Singapore, as well as to flights operated by United's joint-venture partner ANA to 19 destinations in Asia, including Bangkok, Hong Kong, Jakarta and Taipei.

This additional flight to Japan's capital is timed to provide travellers with a new option for travellers shuttling between Japan and Central and South America. From Houston, United and United Express offer nearly 560 daily flights to 176 destinations around the world, including top business and leisure travel markets in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.