United's 'other' hub gets a big boost with new jets, airport upgrades
United Airlines is breathing new life into its only nonmainland U.S. hub.
The airline announced this week that it would replace the aging Boeing 737-800 fleet currently stationed at its Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport (GUM) hub with new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. United will deploy 10 MAX 8 jets in Guam beginning in February 2026.
For those based in the mainland, United's MAX 8 aircraft is pretty commonplace. The airline has 122 of them in its fleet, and all of them, including the ones that'll be stationed in Guam, feature the airline's signature interior.
This includes seatback TVs at every seat, a bigger Economy Plus extra-legroom section, Bluetooth connectivity for wireless headphones, power outlets, faster Wi-Fi and bigger overhead bins. While United's signature interior has been a big upgrade over the old product, it'll be an even more welcome upgrade in Guam, where United currently stations some of its oldest Boeing 737s.
Interestingly, because United serves a bunch of remote destinations from Guam, the airline will install a unique LOPA, or "layout of passenger accommodations" (seat layout), on its Guam-based MAX jets. The planes will have up to 166 seats, including up to 16 first-class recliners. However, the airline will sometimes block some of the seats as a crew rest on longer flights, and when needed, the front rows of Economy Plus seats can be collapsed to accommodate a medical stretcher for patients needing medevac transport.
United says that Wi-Fi will be available for purchase on Guam-based 737s, but it stopped short of sharing which provider it would install at the outset. Right now, mainland-based MAX 8 jets feature Viasat connectivity, but Viasat likely wouldn't provide coverage everywhere the 737s fly from Guam. While United says it will eventually deploy Starlink on these jets, the interim provider is still a bit of a mystery.
The Guam-based 737 MAX 8 aircraft will serve all narrow-body routes operated from GUM and those that operate as fifth-freedom tag flights, such as from Tokyo's Narita International Airport (NRT) to Cebu in the Philippines, Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands, Kaohsiung in Taiwan, and Palau.
In addition to the aircraft upgrades, United will modernize the airport experience in Guam with brand-new, latest-generation check-in kiosks, which are up to 55% faster than the current ones.
The lobby area at GUM is also being reconfigured with the check-in kiosks staged in a two-step configuration to reduce congestion and wait times. Construction in the terminal is expected to be complete by mid-October.
Furthermore, United will retime its departures from Saipan for flyers looking to get to Honolulu and beyond. Effective from Dec. 1, 2025, to March 27, 2026, flights from Saipan to Guam will depart roughly four hours earlier at 6 a.m., with a 55-minute connection in Guam, creating a same-day connection to Honolulu. The retimed flights will depart Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
"Our investment in new aircraft and a complete refresh of our lobby in Guam will deliver the premium experience our customers expect of United and is part of our broader commitment to elevating the customer experience for our customers in Guam and the broader Pacific region," said David Kinzelman, United's chief customer officer, in a statement. "For customers with connecting flights to or from the mainland U.S., these investments will mean a consistent, seamless experience from check-in to landing."
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