United Airlines has announced an expansion of its services to Japan for the season of Winter 2026/27.
The US carrier is to launch a new daily year-round service, connecting its base at Chicago O’Hare (ORD) to Tokyo-Narita (NRT) with a Boeing 787-8 aircraft.
This nonstop service, the only one offered by a US airline between these two airports, will start on October 24, 2026, complementing United’s existing service between Chicago O’Hare and Tokyo-Haneda (HND).
At Narita, United Airlines’ passengers will be able to connect to 21 other destinations in Asia through United’s Star Alliance partner All Nippon Airways (ANA).
The highlight of United’s Japanese expansion, though, is surely the launch of the first ever nonstop service between San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and New Chitose Airport (CTS), Sapporo, on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido.
The new service, using a Boeing 787-9, will operate three times per week on a seasonal basis during the winter months.
Sapporo is a major winter destination. This Japanese city is the gateway to Hokkaido’s ski resorts, which are renowned for the quality of their snow and attract a significant number of skiers from all over the world. What’s more, it hosts the Sapporo Snow Festival which takes place every February, featuring giant ice sculptures.
United Airlines is not the only North American carrier setting its sights on Sapporo. In January 2026, Air Canada also announced the launch of a nonstop seasonal service which will connect the Japanese city to Vancouver International Airport (YVR) from December to March. Like United’s, this other Trans-Pacific service will also run thrice weekly and will be operated by Boeing 787 aircraft.
For the time being, the Vancouver and San Francisco links will be the only long-haul international services outside the Asia-Pacific region to and from New Chitose Airport, which is otherwise connected to a large number of destinations across the region.
