United Airlines already serves (by far) the most destinations in Asia of any airline in the United States. The carrier has now revealed yet another new route to Asia, which is exciting.
In this post:
United adds seasonal San Francisco to Sapporo route
In the winter 2026-2027 season, United will launch a new 3x weekly flight between San Francisco (SFO) and Sapporo (CTS). This new route to Japan route will run from December 17, 2026, through March 26, 2027, with the following schedule:
UA234 San Francisco to Sapporo departing 10:30AM arriving 2:15PM (+1 day)
UA235 Sapporo to San Francisco departing 4:15PM arriving 8:25AM
The service will operate westbound on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and eastbound on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The 4,796-mile flight is blocked at 10hr45min westbound and 9hr5min eastbound. Fun fact — this will be United’s shortest “true” transpacific route (from the continental United States) with regularly scheduled passenger service.
United will use a Boeing 787-9 for the flight, featuring 251 seats. This includes 48 business class seats, 21 premium economy seats, and 188 economy seats.
My take on United’s new flight to Sapporo, Japan
It’s cool to see United add yet another new destination in Asia, as the airline really is in a league of its own among US carriers when it comes to how creative its route network is.
As some may remember, last winter we went on a ski trip to Niseko (which is located in Hokkaido), as the region has some fantastic skiing. While Hokkaido has long been popular with skiers from all over Asia and Australia, it seems to also be increasingly popular with visitors from elsewhere, including North America, Europe, etc.
It’s fantastic to see United making it easier for those from North America to get to Sapporo. Given what a big connecting hub San Francisco is, this should enable all kinds of one-stop service from across North America.
This is such a brilliant use of an aircraft. US carriers focus heavily on Europe in the northern summer, given the insatiable demand for transatlantic travel. The challenge is always figuring out where to fly planes in winter.
Sure, there’s demand for South America and the South Pacific, and there’s also some demand for Southeast Asia. But I can’t think of any other long haul service that operates exclusively in winter that’s focused on skiing, quite like this route.
Now, the one thing that has to be acknowledged is that United is duplicating Air Canada’s new service here. The airline is also launching seasonal flights to Sapporo this upcoming winter, out of Vancouver (YVR). The airline is also operating 3x weekly flights, also with Boeing 787s, and the seasons are nearly identical (though I guess United wanted to beat Air Canada to the punch with the first nonstop flight from North America to Sapporo, as the service launches several days earlier).
Now, some of the brightest minds in route planning are United’s Patrick Quayle and Air Canada’s Mark Galardo, and they’re at the two North American carriers with the most interesting route networks. I imagine they were working off similar data in deciding on these routes.
I thought Sapporo service was a slam dunk when Air Canada announced it, and it’ll be interesting to see if the market can sustain two new direct links from North America. Air Canada and United are operating to Sapporo on different days of the week, and I imagine that’s intentional. Keep in mind that while the airlines have a joint venture across the Atlantic, that doesn’t apply across the Pacific, so there was no coordination here.
Bottom line
United Airlines will be launching a new 3x weekly winter seasonal flight between San Francisco and Sapporo as of December 2026. This is the second nonstop route between North America and Sapporo that has been announced in recent times, as Air Canada will also fly to Sapporo out of Vancouver.
This is an awesome new service, and I’m delighted to see United continuing to lead the way among US carriers when it comes to its global route network.
What do you make of United’s new Sapporo service?
Skiing in Japan is on the bucket list of most the skiers I know...
Wish we could have routes to Sapporo from the US/Canada year round even if it's 1x/2x a week.
It's a selfish reason, but it would save me a stop and sometimes overnight in Tokyo when I want to go see family. Though the more I think about it, it may just move my overnight from Tokyo to SFO depending on when I can get a positioning flight from the east coast US.
Spectrum Boy has a sad because his beloved Georgia Klan Air (which got a record breaking 27th racial EEOC complaint this week, more than the other majors combined) is a distant 3rd to East Asia choosing to dump pax in South Korea and be done with it versus actually serving places people want and need to travel. The over a dozen negative news articles about the sycophants DL these last two weeks, including from hometown...
Spectrum Boy has a sad because his beloved Georgia Klan Air (which got a record breaking 27th racial EEOC complaint this week, more than the other majors combined) is a distant 3rd to East Asia choosing to dump pax in South Korea and be done with it versus actually serving places people want and need to travel. The over a dozen negative news articles about the sycophants DL these last two weeks, including from hometown AJC really have Spectrum Boy down.
As for ORD-NRT UA will take this route from ANA as it has better U.S. point-of-sale and yields for all on ORD-NRT now are trash. UA can improve on those vs ANA. Smart startegy.
and UA loses more bags than any other airline. Your point?
Flying someplace with $4/gal jet fuel because your alliance partner did it first and not wanting to be left behind is not cool... it is deep insecurity that someone else might possibly do something better than you
“it is deep insecurity that someone else might possibly do something better than you”
Lol every accusation a confession
Oh you're crashing out today, Tim. Hang in there lol :(
I will book this flight just for the chance to sample United’s kung pao chicken!
I agree with Tim. DL has the most impressive Asia network! I hope DL continues expanding and launches MNL and SIN, I am thinking 2x daily from one of their west coast hubs. HKG could also work with 4x daily but this time, from two west coast hubs. Separately, I think ordering 60 B787-10s would be cool, I don't think any other airline in the US has it. I can't wait to fly all these routes using Amazon LEO's high-speed WiFi in 2076.
How is DL’s network more impressive when UA flies to more cities?
This post is a clearly sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek jab, at TD
Ah ok lol
Ben really needs to do something about Dim Tunn, and his disturbing fixation on all things Delta. He's here today, sparking flame wars and ruining the experience for nothing but his own sick gratification.
He's under every single post, spewing his gibberish about how flawless Delta is. Even on the articles that don't mention Delta a single time - he's here, trashing any airline that's not named Delta. The guy's a mental case.
...Ben really needs to do something about Dim Tunn, and his disturbing fixation on all things Delta. He's here today, sparking flame wars and ruining the experience for nothing but his own sick gratification.
He's under every single post, spewing his gibberish about how flawless Delta is. Even on the articles that don't mention Delta a single time - he's here, trashing any airline that's not named Delta. The guy's a mental case.
And Tim, since you're reading: Seek professional help. If Delta were an actress, you'd already be planning to shoot a politician to impress her. You have a genuine sickness, and a pathological obsession that may pose a danger to others someday.
Indeed. This is cool. Cold even! Especially during winter. Hokkaido has some of the best seafood in the world, so I’d imagine the cargo alone will make this a profitable route.
Hokkaido in winter requires pax bring Eskimo coats and boots . The stupid pax will attempt to bring all clothing in a small carry-on .
Since Ben is convinced how cool yet another route to Asia is on UA (or any international route), perhaps he can explain why DL managed to make $300 million in 2025 flying the Pacific even though UA had a much larger TPAC system but only made $505 million.
And Ben can also explain how UA's larger international system benefitted them given that UA only made $1.4 billion in 2025 international profits while DL made...
Since Ben is convinced how cool yet another route to Asia is on UA (or any international route), perhaps he can explain why DL managed to make $300 million in 2025 flying the Pacific even though UA had a much larger TPAC system but only made $505 million.
And Ben can also explain how UA's larger international system benefitted them given that UA only made $1.4 billion in 2025 international profits while DL made DL made over $2.0 billion.
In fact, there is nothing cool about copying your alliance partner's strategies so that they don't show you up but that is the only reason why UA had to add service to CTS.
With $4/gal jet fuel certain throughout the winter, it is doubtful that UA will make money on much of their TPAC system during the dead of winter while flying half of their routes on gas-guzzling 777s.
You really just like to spoil everybody's fun don't you? Get a life.
@ Tim Dunn -- I hate to break it to you, but most people decide which routes are "cool" based on them being to destinations they want to visit, rather than based on a detailed analysis of the profitability of routes.
Like, if someone plans a weekend getaway to Aspen, they're thinking "cool, there's a nonstop flight from X," not "I wonder what the RASM is on this flight. Never mind, I don't want to fly it, it's not as profitable as Delta, how uncool."
Seriously, had anyone ever chosen profitability over convenience when selecting their flight to/from the US and Asia?
and yet, Ben, you are convinced that private companies exist to humor you - when their objective is to make money.
If UA really didn't care about making money, there are all kinds of routes they could fly nonstop.
I don't expect passengers to make a decision as to whether to buy based on the profit or not of a route.
I do expect someone like you that claims that they understand the airline...
and yet, Ben, you are convinced that private companies exist to humor you - when their objective is to make money.
If UA really didn't care about making money, there are all kinds of routes they could fly nonstop.
I don't expect passengers to make a decision as to whether to buy based on the profit or not of a route.
I do expect someone like you that claims that they understand the airline industry to be able to admit that no amount of "coolness" makes up for a lack of profitability.
UA repeatedly thinks being cool is more important than being profitable.
at what point do you think that UA will be able to continue to subsidize your need for cool at the expense of their employees and stockholders?
Nobody says Ben "needs" cool and demands it from United other than you. He's just remarking, in the context of his web site which is all about fun travel, that United has an interesting, distinct route. That's all that's required here.
Tim
it truly is amazing how much of a loser you are. It's a new route and it's a cool route. No one forgets how you said 2-3 years ago how Delta would be commanding the Pacific by now or that we should be waiting for an enormous Pacific growth plan -- instead, we're seeing them shift flights from SEA and realizing they'll once again be #2 or #3 in LAX within 2-3 years....
Tim
it truly is amazing how much of a loser you are. It's a new route and it's a cool route. No one forgets how you said 2-3 years ago how Delta would be commanding the Pacific by now or that we should be waiting for an enormous Pacific growth plan -- instead, we're seeing them shift flights from SEA and realizing they'll once again be #2 or #3 in LAX within 2-3 years.
Just chill out. It's a cool route and how is UA copying NH Here? Have you lost your marbles more than usual?
Try. At least TRY to be coherent.
What is wrong with you?
Ben thinks it’s cool because he admires United’s route network (and has for a long time). You respond by demanding profitability explanations from him. What does one thing have to do with another?
@ Tim Dunn -- Also, since you keep making these profitability claims, could you please share how you think Delta's profits in 2025 broke down between domestic, international, SkyMiles, etc.? So 40% of Delta's overall profits came from international, and what percent came from domestic and SkyMiles?
Also, do you think Delta's LAX-HKG route will be profitable with $4 per gallon jet fuel? Is that why there are SkyMiles award sales in Delta One, showing...
@ Tim Dunn -- Also, since you keep making these profitability claims, could you please share how you think Delta's profits in 2025 broke down between domestic, international, SkyMiles, etc.? So 40% of Delta's overall profits came from international, and what percent came from domestic and SkyMiles?
Also, do you think Delta's LAX-HKG route will be profitable with $4 per gallon jet fuel? Is that why there are SkyMiles award sales in Delta One, showing massive pricing discounts?
it comes right off DL's financial statements and DOT data, Ben.
It really isn't that hard to find.
As for LAX-HKG, DL's bet when it announced the route is the same as it is now... if UA will bleed enough to give up on double daily from LAX to HKG.
you really think that UA is going to command price premiums if DL is undercutting them?
Surely you know which loyalty program is worth more - and it sure isn't Mileage Minus.
Even Gary knows THAT
Delta's never going to love you back, Tim.
Why haven't you started your own Delta-stalk blog yet? Lord knows you have the free time.
UA also adding ORD-NRT year round, on the 788.
a 788 on what should be a hub to hub route?
UA still doesn't hold a candle to the amount of Tokyo service that DL has from the Midwest on its own metal.
and not just Tokyo but ICN and PVG.
let's be sure and note how much capacity NH flies and UA just puts its code on.
(it really isn't a great idea to talk about UA's size (or lack thereof) to Asia from anyplace other than SFO
Delta serves Tokyo from
Their hubs in Minneapolis and Detroit, united from its hubs in Chicago and Denver. Denver covers much of the same traffic that Minneapolis does. Again, get a life.
"UA still doesn't hold a candle to the amount of Tokyo service that DL has from the Midwest on its own metal."
>> Congrats on discovering the hub-and-spoke model. You'll be shocked to learn that the US3 have different international gateways — how much TPAC flying does Delta do from DFW or SFO?
"a 788 on what should be a hub to hub route?"
>> UA already flies ORD-HND on the 78X, the NRT service is supplemental. Try to keep up.
Very excited for the award rates to show. Based on trends I’ll be shocked if one way J is any less than 200k.
Yeah, 200K seems to be the new average for J long-haul one-way per person. That said, if the cash-price is $5-10K, it’s still 2-5x value, so…
Still way better than Delta SkyPesos, basically!
really cool route for United to start. I'll be curious to see how it does.
On other sites, a lot of delta fans were speculating about a DL LAX-CTS route and I never really saw how that would work given the weakness of Delta on each dot, but the NH/UA JV is an obvious place to start service to CTS from the US.
Delta fans, you say? Who could that be…
;)
In fairness to our resident Delta nut job, I was referencing posters on a website where Timmy is banned from posting ;)