United Airlines announced it will move up by more than two months the launch of daily, nonstop service between San Francisco International Airport and Nagoya, and double the service between Los Angeles International Airport and Tokyo.

Service to the new Central Japan International Airport near Nagoya, Japan, will now begin March 26, 2005, rather than the original start date of June 1, 2005. In addition, United is also launching a second daily service between Los Angeles and Narita International Airport serving Tokyo that will begin flying on June 7, 2005. Both flights open for sale on Saturday, Nov. 13, 2004.

In addition to meeting customer demand, the earlier start date for Nagoya service will provide additional air service to and from the Expo 2005 Aichi Japan, which begins March 25, 2005, and is expected to draw approximately 15 million visitors. The service also will capture the demand for leisure travel during spring break and the Golden Week (a series of national holidays between the end of April and the beginning of May).

We have received tremendous support from the local business community, local government officials and the travel industry since the announcement of our new Nagoya - San Francisco service, and we`re moving up the launch schedule to better serve the many customers seeking to fly that route, says Glenn Tilton, United`s chairman, president and chief executive officer. We are pleased to be able to play a role to further enhance the relationship between Japan and the United States. United will continue to expand its network in the Asia-Pacific region to better serve high-demand markets.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, in Tokyo this week heading a Trade and Tourism Mission to promote increased business activity, said, I commend this increased commitment by United Airlines to encourage travel and tourism between our state and Japan.

The second daily Los Angeles-Tokyo flight will complement United`s other international service out of LAX, which currently includes daily flights to Guatemala City, London, Mexico City, San Salvador, Sydney and Tokyo, says Mark Schwab, vice president-Pacific. United also plans to add seasonal service from Los Angeles to Ixtapa in December.