United Airlines to expand service on Chicago-Shannon route

United Airlines, one of the largest commercial carriers in the U.S. announced its decision to expand service to Shannon in Ireland. The airline said it is keen on expanding its seasonal direct service between Chicago and Shannon. These changes will however, come into effect only next year.

The airline added Shannon to its itinerary this year. It launched seasonal service to the city in June. This service was suspended in August. It now plans to continue to operate flights between the two cities for a longer duration than this year. It also plans to boost the frequency on the route. In fact, next year it is set to run the service between the city pair from May 23, 2014 to September 15, 2014.

The airline uses the services of Boeing 757-200 aircraft on this route. This plane is equipped with a seating capacity for 169 passengers. Of the 169 seats, 16 seats are available for passengers traveling on cheap business class tickets. Of the remaining 153 seats, 45 are available in Premium Economy and 108 in the Economy class on the aircraft. Business class seats are flat beds that aim at accentuating the experience and comfort of passengers on a long haul journey.

As per the current schedule, flights between Chicago and Shannon will operate on five-times-a-week basis. These flights will depart Chicago at 6:00 pm and arrive in Shannon at 7:30 am, the next day. The return flights will depart Shannon at 11 am and arrive in Chicago at 1:05 pm, the same day.