United Airways has up to date its winter schedule for 2025-2026, and it features a gargantuan growth to Mainland China and Hong Kong. Will these flights truly function, although, or what’s the intent right here?
United schedules extra China routes, launching this winter
United has loaded a number of new routes to Asia into its schedule. With these schedule filings, all of the routes are anticipated to launch as of the beginning of the IATA winter season, in late October 2025:
- Every day Chicago (ORD) to Beijing (PEK) flights, operated by Boeing 777-200ERs
- Every day Chicago (ORD) to Shanghai (PVG) flights, operated by Boeing 787-8s
- Every day Newark (EWR) to Beijing (PEK) flights, operated by Boeing 777-200ERs
- Every day Newark (EWR) to Hong Kong (HKG) flights, operated by Boeing 777-300ERs
- Every day Newark (EWR) to Shanghai (PVG) flights, operated by Boeing 777-200ERs
- 3x weekly San Francisco (SFO) to Chengdu (CTU) flights, operated by Boeing 787-9s — observe that CTU is listed because the airport code, however TFU is now the airport used for lengthy haul flights
All of the flights are already bookable, although presently solely the best fare lessons can be found. One would assume that can change quickly, as first loading the best fare lessons is normal follow, although which may not occur… we’ll see!
These all characterize route resumptions, as these are routes that United has operated up to now. Nevertheless, they’re all pre-pandemic routes, which haven’t been served in recent times.
We’ve seen a whole lot of placeholder flights within the schedule for China in recent times, however on this case, we’ve additionally began to see stock loaded into the schedule, which is greater than we’ve usually seen up to now.
Will these routes function, or are they simply placeholders?
These United routes to Mainland China and Hong Kong at the moment are on sale (on the highest fare lessons), however what’s truly happening right here? Does United truly intend to function all of those routes, or are these placeholders? A couple of ideas…
United does want locations to fly its large physique plane in winter. United’s South Pacific growth hasn’t been terribly worthwhile, and we’ve seen the airline cancel flights there. Possibly United is attempting to foretell the place demand will improve subsequent, and hopes that demand between the US and China will come again robust. Admittedly this looks as if an enormous gamble.
Needless to say flights between the US and China are slot managed, and I’m unsure if United has truly gotten permission to function these routes, or the way it’s in a position so as to add so many new routes so rapidly. The Division of Transportation (DOT) dormancy waivers for China flights finish as of late October 2025, so maybe that’s a part of the motivation right here. Presumably these may very well be prolonged, although.
Working a whole lot of China flights has been difficult in recent times, not simply attributable to lack of demand in some markets, but in addition due to restrictions with utilizing Russian airspace. Is United scheduling these flights based mostly on the idea that Russian airspace restrictions will finish within the coming months? Possibly that finally ends up being true, however I additionally wouldn’t assume that it’s a given.
So we’ll must mark this as “creating” for now, but it surely certain is an attention-grabbing variety of new routes to see added to the schedule. If these had been purely placeholders, you wouldn’t assume that stock can be loaded.
Backside line
United has simply scheduled six new routes to Mainland China and Hong Kong, for journey as of late October 2025. This consists of routes to Beijing, Chengdu, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. I’m unsure what precisely is occurring right here, and the place these routes fall on the size of placeholders to agency plans. Presumably at the least a few of these additions are based mostly on the idea that Russian airspace restrictions will finish.
What do you make of those United routes being added to the schedule?
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