United Airlines Launches First-Ever Nonstop Service Between U.S. and Chengdu, China

United Airlines has launched new nonstop service linking the airline’s San Francisco hub with Chengdu, China, the fourth-largest Chinese city, becoming the first carrier to fly nonstop from the U.S. to mainland China beyond Beijing and Shanghai and the first U.S. carrier to serve Chengdu.

“United offers travelers more choices to more of the world than any other airline and we’re proud to expand our global reach with the first trans-Pacific service to Chengdu,” said Dave Hilfman, United’s senior vice president of worldwide sales. “With more than 250 of the Fortune 500 companies located in the area, and as home to the giant panda and Sichuan cuisine, Chengdu will be a popular destination for both business and leisure travelers.”

United will use the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to operate the three-times-weekly service. Chengdu is the ninth destination United serves in the Asia/Pacific region nonstop from San Francisco, from which United offers more nonstop trans-Pacific flights from the United States than any other carrier.

Flight Schedule

Flight 9 will depart San Francisco International Airport at 1:25 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and arrive at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport at 6:40 p.m. the following day (all times local). For the return, flight 8 will depart at 9:50 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and arrive at San Francisco International Airport at 8:40 a.m. the same day. Flying times will be approximately 14 hours, 15 minutes westbound and 13 hours, 50 minutes eastbound. This new nonstop flight will shave nearly four hours off the typical travel time between the two cities.

Chengdu

Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in southwest China, is the country’s fourth largest city, with a population of approximately 14 million in the urban area. In recent years, Chengdu has been one of the country’s fastest-developing cities economically, and more than half of the Fortune 500 companies have a presence in the city. Sichuan is famous as the natural habitat of the giant panda and home to one of China’s most popular cuisines.