Route Profile: United Airlines in San Salvador

Richard Maslen January 30, 2014

In a special analysis by our schedules blog, Airline Route, for this week’s The HUB Routes Americas event special, we take a closer look at the historic operations of United Airlines and Continental Airlines to the host city of this year’s forum, San Salvador.

Although flights from the city’s recently renamed Óscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport, the third busiest facility in Central America by passenger numbers, have been, and continue to be, dominated by TACA (now Avianca Central America), United is currently the largest foreign operator with a 7.1 per cent capacity share in 2013.

Continental Airlines	Date	Initial Frequency & Aircraft
Houston – Guatemala City – San Salvador – Los Angeles	12SEP88 – 31MAR90	1 daily 737-300
A300 operates 1 of 7 weekly from 29OCT89 for Winter 1989/1990 season Full Routing: Newark – Houston – Guatemala City – San Salvador – Los Angeles – San Francisco
Houston – San Salvador	15DEC89 –	3 weekly 737-300
Gradual Increase to: 5 weekly eff 01AUG90; 6 weekly eff 03SEP90; daily from 18DEC90 Temporary Reduction to 4 weekly from 07APR91 to 31MAY92 Service Increase from daily to 10 weekly from 04JUL93 to 07SEP93; 14 weekly from 19DEC97 Temporary Reduction to 12 weekly in Fall 2000 Introduction of 15^th weekly service from 12DEC09, except certain periods Boeing 727 Replaced 737-300 from 01JUN90 Boeing 737-800 operates 1 of 2 daily from 15DEC98 Boeing 737-700 operates 2 daily from 04APR99 to late-June 1999 Boeing 727 and 737-800 operates 1 daily each in Peak Season 1999 Boeing 737-800 operates 2 daily from 09SEP99 Boeing 757 operates selected service during peak travel season from Dec 1999 Boeing 757 operates 1 of 2 daily service from 13DEC01, except 13FEB03 – 05APR03 Boeing 767-400ER operates first flight on this route on 24DEC05 Boeing 757-300 operates first flight on this route on 15DEC06 Boeing 777-200ER operates first flight on this route on 24DEC06 From 01DEC07 to 06JAN08, all 2 daily service operates with 757 Boeing 737-900 enters operation from 04MAY08 on selected flights
Los Angeles – San Salvador	01MAR92 – 06JAN99	1 daily 737-300
This Route operates on following period: 01MAR92 – 30JUN92, 12FEB98 – 28FEB98, 01AUG98 – 08SEP98, 15DEC98 – 06JAN99 Boeing 737-800 operates from 15DEC98 to 06JAN99
Newark – Guatemala City – San Salvador – Newark	18DEC99 – 01APR01	1 weekly 737-700
Boeing 737-800 operates from 16DEC00
Newark – San Salvador	01MAY01 –	1 weekly 737-700
Service Increase to 4 weekly from 03MAY02 to 05JUN04 (Except 01SEP02 – 11DEC02; 3 weekly 02JUL04 – 06SEP04) Service Increase to 2 weekly from 18DEC11 Operation gradually switched to 737-800 from 15JUN02 From Nov 2003 to Jan 2007, certain flights operated by 757-200 or 737-700 From Jan 2007, certain flights operated by 737-700 instead of -800 Boeing 737-900 operated first flight on this route on 06DEC08 Boeing 757-300 operated first flight on this route on 29AUG09

UNITED		Date		Initial Frequency & Aircraft
Los Angeles – Mexico City – San Salvador		05JUN92 – 07SEP93 09FEB94 – 07FEB95		1 daily 737-300
Boeing 757 operates from 02JUL93 to 07SEP93, 09FEB94 – 02APR94, and from 01JUL94 Service temporary cancelled from 15DEC94 to 24DEC94
Los Angeles – San Salvador		09SEP92 – 08JUN93 11FEB97 – 01MAR08		1 daily 737-300 1 daily 757
Boeing 767 operates in December 1997, 1998 for 2 weeks period From 04MAY99, service switched from Boeing 757 to Airbus A320 Boeing 757 operates in December 1999, 2000 for 2 weeks period
Miami – San Salvador	05JUN92 – 30NOV94		3 weekly 737-300
Service Increase to 1 daily from 10SEP92
Los Angeles – Guatemala City – San Salvador	08SEP93 – 08FEB94		1 daily 757
DC10 operated this route from 15DEC93 to 24DEC93 and 01JAN94 to 11JAN94 This route operated briefly from 15DEC94 to 24DEC94
Los Angeles – San Salvador – San Jose Costa Rica	08FEB95 – 10FEB97		1 daily 757
Service operates as Denver – Los Angeles – San Salvador 2 weekly, from 13JUL96 to 08SEP96, Los Angeles – San Salvador – San Jose Costa Rica reduced to 5 weekly DC10 operated this route from 15DEC96 to 24DEC96
Washington Dulles – San Salvador	09JUL98 – 16JAN99 19DEC12 – 30MAR14		1 daily 757 1 daily 737-800
Service operates Washington Dulles – San Salvador – Guatemala City from 09JUL98 to 08SEP98 Service reduced from daily to 4 weekly from 11AUG13 (daily for 2 weeks period in December 2013), 3 weekly from 01MAR14