fbpx

United Airlines Expands Services to San Francisco, Denver, Chicago

United Airlines will offer daily flights to San Francisco, starting July 1 and continuing through Sept. 5

By Beacon Staff
Glacier Park International Airport. Courtesy photo

United Airlines is boosting its flights from the Flathead Valley to San Francisco, Denver and Chicago.

Glacier Park International Airport announced the expanded service on Feb. 27. United Airlines will offer daily flights to San Francisco, starting July 1 and continuing through Sept. 5. Seasonal flights to San Francisco are currently available once weekly on Saturdays through March 25.

Additionally, United Airlines is rolling out a larger Airbus 319 aircraft on existing direct flights to Chicago and Denver this summer. With 128 seats, the Airbus will boost seating capacity by 82 percent over the regional jets currently used by United Airlines to service Chicago. Capacity will increase 17 percent to Denver. Travelers to these two markets will benefit from the increased capacity between July 1 and Sept. 5.

“More seats means that local travelers will have greater availability to get out,” Robert Ratkowski, Glacier Park International Airport’s director, said. “Flights are usually booked solid for weeks in the summer, so this makes it easier for locals to travel for business or pleasure.”

According to Ratkowski, the decision to expand service is strongly tied to the tourism boom that the Flathead Valley, and specifically Glacier National Park, has experienced in recent years.

Glacier Park International Airport saw nearly a half-million travelers using the airport in 2016, surpassing the previous record year by almost 5 percent.

United Airlines has had its eye on the Flathead Valley for quite some time, Ratkowski says.

“United has been increasing capacity in our market since last summer,” he said. “They have seen double-digit passenger growth for the last five months, including almost 40-percent growth in September 2016 compared to September 2015.”