(Rochester, MN) United Airlines announced Monday February 27th the launch of air service at Rochester International Airport (RST). Beginning June 8th, United Airlines will operate three daily flights to and from the hub at Chicago O’Hare.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome United Airlines to Rochester. The addition of this service will provide 150 new departing seats per day, which is a capacity increase of 35% for our community” John Reed, RST’s Executive Director. “Rochester, MN was the number one market in the world without United service to Chicago, with 174 passengers traveling per day each way. Our region now has more options to connect to the world by choosing to Fly Local and we are grateful for the capacity growth United provides.”
“Transportation to Rochester has emerged as a major theme in our destination planning for our patients and the community. Mayo Clinic established the airport in 1928 and has always been one of its strongest supporters. This exciting announcement opens the door to additional one-stop connections making travel to Rochester more convenient for our patients and visitors. We are pleased United Airlines has placed confidence in Rochester as a destination and we look forward to these additional options for our patients. ” said Dr. John T. Wald, Medical Director of Public Affairs at Mayo Clinic.
“The arrival of United Airline’s service signals a significant step forward for the Destination Medical Center (DMC) initiative and the City of Rochester because it validates the current and future economic growth that DMC is helping to attract,” said Lisa Clarke, Executive Director of the DMC Economic Development Agency. “This enhancement of quality transportation options for the region and visitors from across the world will provide the services necessary for us to grow a competitive and sustainable world-class destination.”
“The Rochester International Airport is a key community asset. It is important for the community to embrace and support this new air service in order for it to be successful,” said Ardell Brede, Mayor of the City of Rochester. “Thank you to United Airlines for establishing a presence here in Rochester and for providing increased global access for our residents and visitors.”
The United hub at Chicago O’Hare connects Rochester to 41 unique one-stop cities not currently served through O’Hare. Notable new one-stops include Maui, Hong Kong, Mexico City, Ixtapa, Costa Rica, Montego Bay, Grand Cayman, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Sao Paolo, Amsterdam, Dublin, Brussels, Frankfurt, and Munich.
United Airlines is the largest airline in the world in terms of cities served, with flights to 360 cities on five continents. United is part of the Star Alliance, which is the world’s largest airline alliance. Rochester joins 1,300 other airports in the Star Alliance network. Star Alliance carriers operate 18,450 daily flights to cities in 190 countries on six continents – all of which will be accessible with a single airline ticket to and from RST. United is the number one US carrier to Asia, with service to 21 cities in Asia. RST passengers are able to now book tickets on all Star Alliance carriers, connecting at Chicago, including United, Lufthansa, Air Canada, Air India, ANA, Austrian, Avianca, Copa, EVA, SAS Scandinavian, Swiss, and Turkish Airlines. Flights are available for booking now at United.com.
RST-ORD daily flight schedule, is listed as follows:
| OUTBOUND FLIGHTS | INBOUND FLIGHTS | ||
| DEPART | ARRIVE | DEPART | ARRIVE |
| RST 05:35 | ORD 06:46 | ORD 09:20 | RST 10:38 |
| RST 11:30 | ORD 12:41 | ORD 12:15 | RST 13:33 |
| RST 14:03 | ORD 15:14 | ORD 19:30 | RST 20:48 |