CHICAGO, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Today, United launches new daily nonstop passenger and cargo service between Washington, D.C., and Tokyo Narita, Japan -- its first-ever Asia-Pacific service from the nation's capital. To commemorate this inaugural flight, a celebration will be held today at Washington Dulles International Airport, bringing together representatives from the Japanese Embassy and United Airlines.
United Flight 803 departs Washington Dulles today at 12:20 p.m. EST and is scheduled to arrive at Tokyo's Narita International Airport at 4:25 p.m., tomorrow. United will operate the flight with a Boeing 777 aircraft that seats 253 passengers -- 10 in United First(R), 45 in United Business(R) and 198 in United Economy(R), including 84 in United Economy Plus(R).
A sample fare between Washington, D.C., and Tokyo Narita on United is as low as $434.50* each way, based on required roundtrip purchase by Nov. 7, 2006. Visit http://www.united.com/ for more details. The new service complements United's existing service of 12 daily nonstop flights to Japan from its other U.S. gateways -- including access to Osaka and Nagoya -- strengthening the company's longstanding presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
"We're pleased to offer our passenger and cargo customers service between our nation's capital and those around the world -- connecting great political, economic and cultural centers," said John Tague, United's executive vice president and chief revenue officer. "This inaugural flight between Washington, D.C., and Narita helps solidify our international route network, as we increase service for our customers to the Asia-Pacific region."
The new route also provides approximately 300 metric tons of cargo capacity per month between the United States and Japan.
This fall, United will have increased its international and U.S. domestic service for business and leisure travelers from Washington Dulles by 39 new flights. This represents an approximate 14 percent increase in departures compared to fall of last year. With this increase, United, Ted(SM) and United Express(R) will provide an average of 321 daily departures from Washington Dulles by November 2006 and convenient connections to more than 90 destinations.
United's global network connects its customers from Washington D.C., to major cities around the world, including a dozen world capitals. The company recently expanded its network to the Middle East on Saturday, Oct. 28, when it launched nonstop service between Washington, D.C., and Kuwait City -- the only nonstop service between the United States and Kuwait by a U.S. airline. United also will begin service to Rome from Washington, D.C., in April 2007, pending Italian government approval. In addition, the company also has applied for daily service between Beijing and Washington, D.C., which would be the first-ever capital-to-capital nonstop service between these two countries, if approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Customers will earn 1,000 bonus miles each time they purchase qualifying travel at http://www.united.com/, which also offers no booking fees and the guaranteed lowest United fares. Customers can also earn 500 bonus miles each time they check in for a flight using EasyCheck-in Online at http://www.united.com/ by Jan. 31, 2007. Both of these bonus mile offers enable customers to earn an additional 2,000 miles per flight. Terms and conditions of the offers are available at http://www.united.com/.
About United
United Airlines operates more than 3,700** flights a day on United, United Express and Ted to more than 210 U.S. domestic and international destinations from its hubs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago and Washington, D.C. With key global air rights in the Asia- Pacific region, Europe and Latin America, United is one of the largest international carriers based in the United States. United also is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides connections for our customers to 841 destinations in 157 countries worldwide. United's 56,000 employees reside in every U.S. state and in many countries around the world. News releases and other information about United can be found at the company's Web site at united.com.
**Based on the flight schedule between May 1, 2006 and Dec. 31, 2006.
*FARE FACTS: Fares above are each way based on required roundtrip purchase for United Economy(R) travel on United Airlines(R), Ted(SM), and United Express(R) carriers. Tickets purchased through United reservation offices are $15 per ticket higher and tickets purchased at airport ticket counters are $20 per ticket higher. Fares purchased through other distribution channels may also be higher. When purchasing from United, always go to http://www.united.com/ to find United's lowest fares. Seats are limited and may not be available on all flights/dates. Purchase Requirements: Tickets must be purchased at least seven days in advance and ticketed within 72 hours of making reservations, but no later than 11/7/06. International sale fares apply to U.S. point-of-sale only. Reservations and ticket purchases on http://www.united.com/ must be completed simultaneously. Travel Days/Dates: Fares for are valid for travel on Monday through Thursday from 11/5/06 through 12/10/06. Sale fares for other days of the week are higher. Blackout Dates: No blackout dates apply. International Max./Min. Stay: A six-night minimum stay is required. The maximum stay is 30 days. Additional Taxes/Fees: Fares do not include a $3.30 per flight segment tax. A flight segment is defined as one takeoff and one landing. Fares do not include the September 11th Security Fee of up to $10 maximum per roundtrip or Passenger Facility Charges of up to $18, which may be collected depending on the itinerary. Fares for Hawaii and Alaska do not include a $7.30 (each way) departure tax. All international fares are subject to U.S. arrival and departure taxes and agricultural, immigrations and customs fees of up to $41. For travel to some countries, additional airport, transportation, embarkation, security, and passenger service taxes/surcharges of up to $124 will apply depending on destination. For return travel from some countries, fares do not include airport and/or departure taxes of up to $36, which may be collected by the foreign government. Itinerary Changes: Tickets are non-refundable, but the return portion may be changed for a $150 fee, provided the new itinerary is within the parameters of this offer, minimum and maximum stay requirements are met, and the origin and destination are not changed. If the reservation is cancelled before the ticketed departure date, the itinerary may be rebooked up to one year from the original ticket issue date for a $150 service charge. If a reservation is not cancelled before the ticketed departure date, the ticket has no value. Other Conditions: Fares, fees and taxes are subject to change without notice. Other restrictions may apply. Lower fares may be available to select destinations.
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