United Airlines yesterday launched a non-stop service between San Francisco and Chengdu.
The carrier is deploying a Dreamliner on the three-times weekly route, which it claims will knock nearly four hours off the travel time between the two cities.
United configures its B787-8s in three classes with 30 fully-flat seats in BusinessFirst, 70 in Economy plus and 113 in economy. To view a seatplan, click here.
The outbound service departs SFO at 1325 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and arrives at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport at 1840 local time the next day.
The return flight leaves Chengdu at 0950 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and lands in San Francisco at 0840 local time the same day.
United is the first US airline to fly direct from the US to mainland China beyond Beijing and Shanghai, and the first to serve Chengdu.
Dave Hilfman, United's senior vice president of worldwide sales, said: "United offers travellers 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.
"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 travellers."
United is launching a new service to Tokyo Haneda in October, subject to government approval (see news, May 13).
Graham Smith