United Adds a New Route Between San Francisco and Panama City

Updated: December 20, 2024, 11:17am CST

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From Northern California to Panama, and Beyond
United’s Going Big on International Expansion
Final Thoughts

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United Airlines is starting a new flight between San Francisco and Panama City, Panama, next year. It’s yet another new service in United’s international expansion, with the airline announcing several new destinations recently.

Let’s look at this new flight to an airport that’s an important gateway to South America.

From Northern California to Panama, and Beyond

The new United Airlines service between San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Panama Tocumen International Airport (PTY) begins on May 22, 2025. It will operate daily, year-round, according to United.

Panamanian flag carrier Copa Airlines, a member of Star Alliance like United, already flies between SFO and PTY up to 11 times weekly.

United passengers can connect seamlessly on Copa through Panama City to Copa’s vast network in South and Central America.

Copa has an extensive network in South America from its Panama hub. Image Credit: Flightconnections.com

The route will be flown with a Boeing 737 MAX 8, featuring 16 seats in first class and 150 in economy. United sells first-class seats as business class on this route, as it normally does on international routes flown by airplanes fitted with domestic first class.

At 3,319 miles, this will be a relatively long flight for a Boeing 737. Scheduled at more than 7 hours, it is longer than coast-to-coast flights in the U.S.

The schedule is as follows:

UA1103 departs San Francisco at 10:55 a.m. and arrives in Panama City at 8:10 p.m.
UA1104 departs Panama City at 3:15 p.m. and arrives in San Francisco at 8:58 p.m.

Prices currently range from $647 round-trip in United basic economy to $1,107 in business:

United SFO-PTY round-trip cost — Image Credit: United Airlines

United’s Going Big on International Expansion

United is on a roll with its international growth. Earlier this year, it announced the largest international expansion in its history, with 8 new destinations from Mongolia to Greenland.

From San Francisco, the airline also plans to start next year a daily flight to San José, Costa Rica (SJO), using the Boeing 737 MAX 8, as well. Those flights join new services to Monterrey, Mexico (MTY), and Belize City, Belize (BZE), starting this year. United’s also expanding with a Los Angeles-Beijing route and Los Angeles-Shanghai route.

Hot Tip:

Copa Airlines, which also serves the San Francisco to Panama City route, is a Star Alliance partner — meaning you can collect and spend United MileagePlus miles on its flights. Or, if you are a Copa loyalist, you can earn Copa’s ConnectMiles on United flights.

Final Thoughts

United Airlines dominates at San Francisco International, where it has a 44% share of passenger traffic, far ahead of Delta Air Lines with 12%. United is betting on growth at SFO by scheduling more international flights, and we have just learned of a new addition: Panama City, Panama.

This is good news for people looking to fly not just to Panama but also South America, where United’s partner Copa has an extensive network radiating from Panama City.