If you’ve been eager to fly a United Airlines Boeing 737 to Mongolia, you’re in for a treat. The airline has officially launched flights to Ulaanbaatar.
The Chicago-based airline recently filed details of this innovative new route, which was first reported in Cirium schedules.
CIRIUM
United’s new 1,900-mile route from Narita International Airport (NRT) to Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN) will launch on May 1, offering three weekly flights in each direction. Westbound flights will operate Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, while eastbound services will run Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
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The outbound flights from Tokyo will depart at 4:30 p.m., arriving in Ulaanbaatar at 8:55 p.m. The return flights will leave at 9:55 a.m. and reach Tokyo at 3:45 p.m.
United plans to operate this seasonal route until October 12, 2025.
The scheduling is designed to facilitate connections with United’s primary transpacific flights from Narita, including long-haul services to Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, and San Francisco.
On this route, United will deploy a Boeing 737-800 based in Guam, featuring 16 business-class recliners, 48 Economy Plus seats, and 102 standard economy seats.
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Seeing a United Boeing 737 in Mongolia may surprise some, but it operates under historical fifth-freedom rights that United holds in Tokyo for flights originating in the U.S. that continue to other destinations.
In recent years, United has underutilized these rights, focusing instead on expanding its hub in Guam. However, as Guam has become less busy and profitable, United is exploring new opportunities for the aircraft stationed in Micronesia.
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Recently, United has been enhancing its presence at NRT, creating a gateway hub for the broader region. The airline recently introduced new flights from Tokyo to Cebu in the Philippines and is now adding three additional short-haul regional routes from the airport to Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Koror, Palau; and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
United believes that its joint venture with All Nippon Airways (ANA) will support the success of these routes. (ANA currently does not operate flights from Narita to Ulaanbaatar.) The new flights are also anticipated to attract travelers seeking one-stop connections from the U.S.
“We are rethinking how we view Tokyo. It’s a significant asset for us. Our analysis showed a lot of traffic formerly connecting through Beijing is now not doing so, creating a chance to connect via Tokyo,” said Patrick Quayle, United’s network chief, in an interview with Flying Frugal following the announcement of the new routes in October.
If you’re interested in booking flights on this new route, one-way fares start at $326 in economy and $753 in business class. However, introductory mileage rates are considerable, starting at 30,000 miles for one-way economy tickets and 75,000 miles for business class.
At the time of publication, there was no availability for saver awards on the new routes.
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