United Airlines and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport celebrated the launch of new daily nonstop service between CVG and San Francisco on Monday, October 26, with a gate celebration and ribbon cutting before the inaugural flight departed, according to the airport’s announcement published by Airport Improvement.
The daily service began Sunday, October 25, and runs in both directions, according to JobsOhio, which backed the route in part through its Air Service Restoration Program. JobsOhio said United is flying the route with Boeing 737-800 aircraft seating 166 passengers — 16 in first class and 150 in economy plus and economy — with daytime flights in each direction; the airport’s announcement said the flight departs CVG in the morning with a return from San Francisco in the afternoon.
San Francisco is a top 25 destination for CVG and has been the airport’s largest underserved route over the past five years, according to the airport’s announcement. With United’s hub operation at San Francisco, travelers from the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky region now have one-stop access to destinations across Asia, including Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Taipei, the announcement said.
“This flight is the result of a strong partnership and a shared belief in the potential of our region,” Chad Summe, chair of the Kenton County Airport Board, said in the airport’s announcement published by Airport Improvement. “We’re grateful to United for continuing to invest in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky and for recognizing the demand that exists for this connection.”
The route is expected to generate an estimated $36.4 million in economic impact for the Cincinnati region, according to JobsOhio. San Francisco becomes United’s sixth nonstop destination from CVG, joining Chicago, Houston, Denver, Washington Dulles and Newark, the airport’s announcement said.
“We’re thrilled to expand United’s presence in Cincinnati with the addition of new nonstop daily service between Cincinnati and San Francisco,” Mark Weithofer, United’s managing director of domestic network planning, said in the JobsOhio announcement. “This gives travelers in the tri-state region direct access to the West Coast and from there, convenient access to destinations across the Pacific through United’s San Francisco hub,” Weithofer said in the JobsOhio announcement.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine made the same point in the JobsOhio announcement. “United Airlines’ direct service between Greater Cincinnati and San Francisco connects Ohioans to Bay Area companies and attractions while providing increased access to Asian markets,” DeWine said in the JobsOhio announcement.
The airport itself welcomed 9 million travelers in 2025 and offers more than 55 nonstop destinations, and it is home to Amazon Air’s hub and DHL Express’ global superhub for the Americas, according to the airport’s announcement. For Cincinnati-area travelers, the practical change is immediate: a daily nonstop to the West Coast, and one-stop trips across the Pacific, without a connection in between.