United adds exciting new international route, slashing yet another US city

United Airlines is making two notable changes to its network.

It begins with an exciting new international flight from the airline’s hub at Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport (GUM) in Guam to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) starting on May 2. 4, as first seen on Cirium’s schedule and later confirmed by an airline spokesperson.

United will operate the new 1,729-mile route from Guam to Taipei using Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The flight will depart from Guam at 7:00 a.m. and land in Taipei at 9:25 a.m. The return trip will depart at 10:30 and land at 4:20 p.m.

United will operate this flight twice a week.

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What’s interesting is that this route technically marks the resumption of United service. That’s because Continental Micronesia offered this service until October 2005, about five years before United merged with Continental.

Today, China Airlines is the only airline operating the Guam-to-Taipei route, so United would have a chance to dominate the market, especially given its strong presence in Guam since the Continental period. Micronesia.

In addition to the new Guam service, United also flies to Taipei from San Francisco.

“The launch of the new Taipei-Guam route underscores United’s commitment to Guam and the region by opening new routes that offer more ways for travelers to enjoy Guam and the Micronesia region. The new market opening will support the island’s tourism recovery efforts and plans to revive and diversify its domestic market. The new route provides convenient connections for travelers across Asia and is a direct destination and new convenience for Guam visitors to enjoy Taiwan’s unique and exciting cultural, culinary, natural and historical experiences,” said Sam Shinohara, United’s chief executive officer of airport operations for the Asia-Pacific region.

It will be interesting to see how the new route fares, especially since United has recently invested in its Asia-Pacific network with other exciting new routes, such as Tokyo to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and Tokyo to Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

While the airline is making big moves in Guam, United is cutting yet another domestic city in the US

This time, the airline will discontinue service to Lewiston, Idaho, effective February 1.

Previously, United flew to Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport (LWS) from its hub in Denver. The route started in October 2021 and will now be cut just over three years later.

Once United leaves Lewiston, Delta will exclusively provide service to the city with nonstop flights from Salt Lake City and Seattle.

United initially began serving Lewiston thanks to funding provided by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), supplemented by grants from the city government, according to local sources. Big country news.

These subsidies have been exhausted and airport officials have been unable to secure additional funding to maintain the route.

“We thank United Airlines, Nez Perce County and the City of Lewiston for trying this route during challenging economic times for the air transportation industry,” said Lewiston Airport Director Mike Isaacs.

A United spokesperson shared in a brief statement that “United will continue to serve Idaho with service to Boise (BOI), Idaho Falls (IDA) and Sun Valley (SUN). We are working with affected customers to help them make alternative travel arrangements.”

United has cut 41 US cities since April 2020, according to data from airline consulting firm Alevon Pacific.

For most of the cuts, the airline cited pilot shortage and low demand is the main reason leading to withdrawal from many markets. Today, the industry has largely stabilized and although some smaller markets may return (e.g. Butte, Montanaand Eau Claire, Wisconsin), others, like Lewiston, may not make it.

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