Originfacts

Airline guide

United Airlines logo

United AirlinesIATA code UA

united.com(official website, opens in a new tab)

Baggage allowances, fare rules, check-in cut-offs and contact details for United Airlines. Policy figures are read from United Airlines’s own published pages and each one shows where it came from and when we checked it.

Home country
United States
Busiest markets
New York, Houston, Chicago
By route count · route data Jul 2026
Destinations
441 in 98 countries
Route data Jul 2026
7 of 7 sections verified· checked 6 Oct 20261 from route dataHow we check

United Airlines at a glance

United Airlines carry-on baggage allowance

Verified 6 Oct 2026

Source: united.com/en/us/fly/baggage/carry-on (opens in a new tab)

Carry-on weight by cabin
CabinCarry-on weight
Economy1 carry-on bag + 1 personal item included (except Basic Economy on domestic/short-haul which includes personal item only)
Business & First1 carry-on bag + 1 personal item included
Cabin bag size
56 x 35 x 23 cm (22 x 14 x 9 in)

United Airlines checked baggage allowance

Verified 6 Oct 2026

Source: united.com/en/us/baggage-calculator (opens in a new tab)

Checked allowance by cabin
CabinChecked allowance
Economy1 piece up to 23 kg (50 lbs) on transpacific/transatlantic; $35-$40 for 1st bag on US domestic
Business2 pieces up to 32 kg (70 lbs) each (United Polaris / United First)
First3 pieces up to 32 kg (70 lbs) each

What United Airlines’s cheapest fare includes

Verified 6 Oct 2026

Source: united.com/en/us/fly/travel/inflight/basic-economy (opens in a new tab)

Lowest fare
Basic Economy (includes 1 small personal item only on domestic; no full-sized carry-on bag; seat assigned at check-in)
Seat selection
Advance seat selection available for purchase on Basic Economy; complimentary for Economy, Economy Plus, and Polaris
Changes and cancellations
Basic Economy subject to cancellation fee; $0 change fee on Economy and premium fares for US domestic and international flights

United Airlines cabins and aircraft

Verified 6 Oct 2026

Source: united.com/en/us/fly/travel/inflight/cabin-features (opens in a new tab)

Choose a seat by location and legroom, or accept a free seat assignment at check-in. Use your flight seat map because options vary with the aircraft.

Seat options
United Polaris (1-2-1 direct aisle lie-flat suites on 777/787/767), United Premium Plus (2-3-2 38" pitch), Economy Plus (extra legroom), and Economy (3-3-3 / 3-3 31" pitch)
Reserved or random
Reserve a seat in advance for free on Economy/Polaris or for a fee on Basic Economy; free random seat assigned at check-in
Family seating
United's dynamic seat map automatically seats children under 12 adjacent to an accompanying adult free of charge

If your United Airlines flight is delayed or cancelled

Verified 6 Oct 2026

Source: united.com/en/us/fly/customer-commitment (opens in a new tab)

These are standards published by the carrier for delays and cancellations. On codeshares or interline itineraries, the operating carrier is responsible.

Care
Meal vouchers for controllable delays of 3+ hours; hotel accommodation and transport for overnight delays within carrier control.
Rebooking and refunds
Full refund to original form of payment or free rebooking on next United/partner flight for delays of 3+ hours.
Compensation
DOT air passenger consumer protection regulations apply for denied boarding or cancellations within airline control.

United Airlines check-in times and airport cut-offs

Verified 6 Oct 2026

Source: united.com/en/us/fly/travel/airport/airport-process (opens in a new tab)

Online check-in opens
24 hours before scheduled departure via united.com or United app
Domestic check-in closes
45 minutes before departure with or without checked bags
International check-in closes
60 minutes before departure for international flights
Boarding closes
15 minutes before departure for domestic; 30 minutes for international

How to contact United Airlines

Verified 6 Oct 2026

Source: united.com/en/us/fly/contact-united (opens in a new tab)

Customer service phone
+1 800-864-8331

Where United Airlines flies

Route data · Jul 2026

Source: Originfacts route-network dataset, built from TravelPayouts route data (updated 2026-07). Not verified by hand.

We track 2,776 United Airlines routes serving 441 destinations across 98 countries.

Destinations
441
Countries
98
Routes tracked
2,776
Longest route
12,959 km

Busiest markets by route count

  1. New York196 routes
  2. Houston182 routes
  3. Chicago182 routes
  4. Denver170 routes
  5. Washington128 routes

A market may include more than one airport.

Longest route in the dataset

New York EWRtoHong Kong HKG

12,959 km great-circle distance between the two airports.

Destinations in the route data

Common questions about flying United Airlines

What size cabin bag can I take on United Airlines?

According to United Airlines’s own website (united.com, checked 6 Oct 2026): 56 x 35 x 23 cm (22 x 14 x 9 in).

How heavy can my United Airlines carry-on bag be?

According to United Airlines’s own website (united.com, checked 6 Oct 2026): 1 carry-on bag + 1 personal item included (except Basic Economy on domestic/short-haul which includes personal item only).

What is the United Airlines Economy checked baggage allowance?

According to United Airlines’s own website (united.com, checked 6 Oct 2026): 1 piece up to 23 kg (50 lbs) on transpacific/transatlantic; $35-$40 for 1st bag on US domestic.

When can I check in online with United Airlines?

According to United Airlines’s own website (united.com, checked 6 Oct 2026): 24 hours before scheduled departure via united.com or United app.

When does United Airlines check-in close for domestic flights?

According to United Airlines’s own website (united.com, checked 6 Oct 2026): 45 minutes before departure with or without checked bags.

When does United Airlines check-in close for international flights?

According to United Airlines’s own website (united.com, checked 6 Oct 2026): 60 minutes before departure for international flights.

What is the United Airlines customer service phone number?

According to United Airlines’s own website (united.com, checked 6 Oct 2026): +1 800-864-8331.

How many destinations does United Airlines fly to?

Originfacts tracks 441 United Airlines destinations across 98 countries, on 2,776 routes.

Where is United Airlines based?

United Airlines is based in United States. In the Originfacts route dataset, its busiest market is New York, followed by Houston, Chicago and Denver.

What aircraft appear on United Airlines routes?

The routes we hold name 74H, 788, Aerospatiale/Alenia ATR, Airbus A310-300, Airbus A318, Airbus A319, Airbus A320, Airbus A321, Airbus A330, Airbus A330-200, Airbus A330-300, Airbus A340-300, Airbus A340-600, Airbus A380-800, Avro RJ100 Avroliner, Beechcraft Beech 1900, Boeing 737-300, Boeing 737-400, Boeing 737-500, Boeing 737-700, Boeing 737-800, Boeing 737-900, Boeing 747, Boeing 747-400, Boeing 757, Boeing 757-200, Boeing 757-300, Boeing 767, Boeing 767-200, Boeing 767-300, Boeing 767-400, Boeing 777, Boeing 777-200ER, Boeing 777-200LR, Boeing 777-300, Boeing 777-300ER, Canadair Regional Jet, Canadair Regional Jet 700, Canadair Regional Jet 705, Cessna Light Aircraft, Dash 8, Dash 8-100, Dash 8-200, Dash 8-300, Dash 8-400, Embraer E135/140/145 Regional Jet, Embraer E145 Regional Jet, Embraer E170, Embraer E175, Embraer E190, Embraer EMB-120 Brasilia and Saab SF-340. That dataset accumulates over time, so treat it as a record of what has flown rather than a current fleet list.

What is the longest United Airlines route?

New York to Hong Kong, at 12,959 km.

Sources and verification

Baggage, fare, check-in, disruption and contact figures are published only when they are read from United Airlines’s own pages or a named regulator, and each one shows the page and the date it was checked. Where sources disagree we show both and publish neither. Route and destination figures come from the Originfacts route dataset and show its date instead; they are not verified by hand.