The airline founded by William Boeing, the famed creator of a leading aerospace manufacturer, began modestly as a postal delivery service. Boeing Airplane Company, previously named Pacific Aero Products, added international airmail to its services after World War I.
Boeing Airplane Company made its first international airmail delivery in 1919 and won an airmail contract for service between San Francisco and Chicago in 1927. This particular contract is relevant to this guide because the Model 40A acquired for this route could carry two passengers in addition to mail. So, Boeing created a new company named Boeing Air Transport for this mail and passenger service. According to the Disciples of Flight, Boeing Air Transport delivered an estimated 1,300 tons of mail and carried 6,000 passengers in the first year of operation.
Over the following years, William Boeing strategically acquired several more companies to create a powerhouse for airline operations, development, and manufacturing named United Aircraft and Transport Corporation. However, the Air Mail Act of 1934 forced the powerhouse company to split into three separate companies, with the airline operations becoming United Airlines.
United Airlines focused on domestic routes — including its signature coast-to-coast route from New York to San Francisco via Chicago — until 1966, according to the SFO Museum. It added service to Hawaii in 1947 and merged with Capital Airlines in 1961, dramatically bolstering its presence throughout the Southern and Midwestern U.S. In 1984, United became the first airline to serve all 50 U.S. states.
In the early 1980s, United only served Tokyo and Hong Kong from Seattle. However, United capitalized on a flailing Pan Am in 1985, acquiring its Pacific division and aircraft. A year later, it served 13 Pacific cities, including Auckland; Bangkok; Beijing; Manila, Philippines; Seoul, South Korea; Singapore; Sydney; and Taipei, Taiwan. When Pan Am finally ceased operations, United pounced on acquiring its routes to Latin America and London.
United Airlines has several major hubs, with Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport being one of its largest. United Airlines is headquartered in Chicago, and its hub there can be traced back to Boeing’s purchase of National Air Transport — a large airline based in Chicago — in 1930. When Boeing split into three companies in 1934, the previous National Air Transport was included in what became United Airlines.
United Airlines and Continental Airlines merged in 2010 and were fully integrated in early 2012, opting to keep the United Airlines name. At the time of the merger, Continental already had established hubs in Houston, Guam, and Newark. Houston is a major United gateway to the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, and South America, while United serves destinations worldwide from Newark. Meanwhile, United offers short flights to Japan, the Philippines, and Micronesia from Guam — including the United Island Hopper.
Currently, United’s biggest hubs are Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, Denver International Airport, Guam’s Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport, Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, and Washington, D.C.’s Dulles International Airport.
United Airlines has added new hubs over the years through mergers and closed existing hubs as well. Some notable former hubs include Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Miami International Airport, and Tokyo’s Narita International Airport.
In addition to its own hubs, United Airlines partners with many other airlines and operates at several key airports worldwide. These airports serve as hubs for United’s Star Alliance partners, including Addis Ababa Bole International Airport for Ethiopian Airlines, Auckland Airport for Air New Zealand, Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport for THAI Airways, Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport for Avianca, Brussels Airport for Brussels Airlines, Cairo International Airport for Egyptair, Frankfurt Airport for Lufthansa, Istanbul Airport for Turkish Airlines, Lisbon Airport for TAP Air Portugal, Panama City’s Tocumen International Airport for Copa Airlines, Seoul’s Incheon International Airport for Asiana Airlines, Singapore Changi Airport for Singapore Airlines, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport for EVA Air, Tokyo’s Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport for All Nippon Airways, Toronto Pearson Airport for Air Canada, Warsaw Chopin Airport for LOT Polish Airlines, and Zurich Airport for Swiss.
United Airlines has established itself as one of the largest airlines in the world, with a wide-ranging network that reaches over 1,200 destinations in 186 countries. Its strategic acquisitions, partnerships, and hub locations have played a significant role in its success and growth over the years. The United MileagePlus loyalty program, in conjunction with the Star Alliance, further enhances the travel options and benefits available to United Airlines passengers.