On March 16, United Airlines performed its first Boeing 737 MAX operation at Guanacaste Airport (LIR), Costa Rica, with a service from Houston (IAH). This model is one of the youngest narrowbody aircraft in the U.S. airline’s fleet with better fuel efficiency and lower carbon emissions than its predecessors.
Flight UA 1737 was operated by a Boeing 737-8 with registration N47281 and delivered to the company in October 2022, the aircraft took off from George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) at 16:50 local time and landed at Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport (LIR) at 18:52, after three hours and three minutes.
United’s Boeing 737 MAX 8 has a capacity for 166 passengers in three classes (16 United First/54 Economy Plus/96 Economy). This aircraft offers Wi-Fi service for all customers, in-seat entertainment screens with availability of more than 2,800 movies, TV shows, podcasts and playlists, and new overhead bins designed for all travelers’ bags and carry-on luggage, a 50% increase over previous models.
The Chicago-based airline currently operates Boeing 737 MAX on several of its Costa Rica routes including: Houston (IAH) – San Jose (SJO) with 16 operations per week and Newark (EWR) – San Jose (SJO) with 15 flights per week.
United’s Guanacaste (LIR) schedule features a year-round route to Houston (IAH) and seasonal service to Newark (EWR), Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO) and Denver (DEN). During the northern winter season, the airline has a capacity of 8,996 weekly seats to Liberia (LIR) according to the Cirium platform.
According to information obtained by Aviacionline through the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC), United mobilized 674,667 passengers between the United States and Costa Rica in 2021, this represents a recovery of 85.5% compared to 2019 levels. By March 2023, the company consolidates its position as the leading airline operator in terms of seats per kilometers offered (ASK) in the Costa Rica – United States sector with a 25.47% share of the market.
See also: United Airlines to increase flights between Newark and Lima
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