UNITED TO BEGIN DAILY NONSTOP SERVICE BETWEEN NEW YORK-JFK AND HONG KONG

United Airlines has announced that it will begin daily nonstop service between New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Hong Kong International Airport (HKG). At 7,339 nautical miles, United’s JFK-HKG flight will be the longest nonstop passenger service in the world. The new service is scheduled to start on April 1, 2001, and will be flown by long-range Boeing 747-400 aircraft configured for three classes of service.

The new flight will further enhance United’s superior network of nonstop service to Asia from the United States and offer customers in metropolitan New York unparalleled nonstop access to Hong Kong and South Asia.

"The introduction of daily nonstop service between New York City and Hong Kong—two of the world’s leading business centers—reflects United’s commitment to maintaining its leadership position in the Pacific," said Stuart Oran, United Airlines senior vice president—international. "With the introduction of this new nonstop flight, United is the clear choice from New York to Asia."

According to Oran, the addition of the new nonstop flight to Hong Kong will complement United’s existing trans-Pacific schedule from JFK by providing service to the top two Asian business destinations. United already provides daily nonstop service between JFK and Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (NRT), with convenient connecting service from Narita to Shanghai, Bangkok, Singapore, Seoul and Hong Kong. The new JFK—Hong Kong nonstop flight will be timed to accommodate United customers connecting via JFK from Brazil and Argentina.

United will operate the JFK—Hong Kong flight with Boeing 747-400 aircraft configured with 14 seats in United First, 84 seats in United Business, and 270 seats in United Economy.

Customers in United First will be able to enjoy the state-of-the-art United First Suite. More than a seat, the First Suite is an adaptive personal environment that can convert from a seat to a bed at the push of a button.

In addition to an exceptional amount of workspace, each First Suite is equipped with a data-port-equipped telephone and laptop power, providing customers with all of the amenities of an airborne office. For entertainment, customers may enjoy a nine-channel distributed video and personal video system, with an onboard library of 20 selections. Noise reduction headsets also improve the sound quality of the multi-channel onboard CD audio system or cancel out background noise.

United Flight #821 will depart JFK daily at 10:30AM and arrive in Hong Kong at 2:10PM the following day. The return flight, #820, will depart Hong Kong at 5:05PM and arrive in New York City at 8:35PM that evening. The planned flying time will be 15 hours and 40 minutes.

United Airlines offers nearly 2,400 flights a day to 135 destinations in 27 countries and two U.S. territories.