As a kid, I spent countless hours staring at maps: some of the United States, others of countries around the world.
In particular, I was drawn to places that seemed far-flung and fantastic — destinations that let me imagine a world far beyond the rural plot of Pennsylvania where I grew up.
Thailand. The Falkland Islands. South Africa. The more creative, the better.
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Today, I checked off one of the destinations that I once daydreamed about as a kid: Mongolia.
That came courtesy of United Airlines, which on Thursday flexed its own creativity by expanding its route map to become the first U.S. airline to launch regularly scheduled service to the remote Asian nation.
I was on board for the inaugural flight, which was a celebration and spectacle in and of itself, much like other inaugural flights from United and other big carriers.
Making United's service to the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar particularly unique was the city where it took off.
United Flight 7 to Chinggis Khaan International Airport (UBN) didn't depart from a U.S. airport. It took off some 1,900 miles away at Tokyo's Narita International Airport (NRT), far from the airline's home country.
Gateside festivities
The launch of this new "fifth-freedom route" — an aviation term for a flight that neither departs nor lands in an airline's home country — drew a throng of roughly 200 people near Narita's Gate 32 for ceremonies that began nearly two hours before departure.
It kicked off with a large contingent of Japanese media peppering Patrick Quayle, United's senior vice president for global network planning and alliances, with a slew of questions. They covered everything from details on United's new NRT-UBN route to the carrier's effort to rebuild its Narita operation, which is now up to 11 nonstop destinations, as part of United's plan to revitalize its Japanese operation.
But it was the spectacle that followed that made this departure most unusual: destination-themed cupcakes, a sake barrel-breaking ceremony and a slew of photo ops, including several passengers who dressed up for the occasion.
A sizable percentage of the flight's passengers said they flew in specifically to be on the inaugural — AvGeeks or United enthusiasts who'd booked the flight specifically because it marked the adding of a new, and especially notable, pin on United's map.
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Craig Shipman from Chicago was one of those passengers.
"This is my first inaugural," he said, fresh off arriving in Tokyo from Chicago — just in time to catch the connection to Ulaanbaatar.
"Why not?" Shipman said. "I've never been to Mongolia, and it just worked out that I could go."
Jan Francke, a mining geophysicist from Victoria, British Columbia, was another.
A self-described "extreme" traveler frequently on the road, Francke said he incorporated the inaugural flight into a work trip he had to make to Mongolia anyway. Today, he said he enjoyed the excitement of the inaugural. Tomorrow, a nine-hour ride into the Mongolian countryside to meet clients awaits him.
But still others booked the flight by happenstance, realizing only by the hullabaloo at the gate that this was not just an ordinary flight.
These elaborate gate-side celebrations have become something of a tradition for United's inaugural route launches. Perhaps that's no surprise given the number of interesting new destinations the carrier has added in recent years under Quayle's route-planning leadership.
Ulaanbaatar joins Nuuk in Greenland, the Pacific island nation of Palau, Spain's Bilbao and Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City on an expansion list that heavily leans into far-off destinations much more than those available from other North American carriers.
It may not be much of a surprise to learn that Quayle himself also loved to look at maps as a kid, something he says helped serve as inspiration for shaping United's route map.
"As a kid, I loved looking at maps," Quayle told me from seat 3F while we flew somewhere high above the Asian continent on our way to his carrier's newest destination. "The more far-flung or the harder it is to get to places — like the South Island of New Zealand or Tahiti or Mongolia or Cape Town, South Africa — I just had a yearn and a desire to go there. And being in this position, running the network at United, we have the ability to bring these destinations to our MileagePlus [loyalty] members. And really ... getting the flag carrier service, getting that United service to these far-flung destinations around the world."
There's a business case to be made, of course.
United flies to the most combined domestic and international destinations in the world. It's a key differentiator from its biggest competitors.
Having a slew of innovative destinations further enhances the appeal of its frequent flyer program — and those who might consider signing up for a cobranded credit card to help them get to those destinations.
But for Thursday, Quayle — along with myself and a large portion of those on board — felt more like wide-eyed kids checking off a long-dreamed-about bucket list destination.
Every passenger who boarded United's inaugural Mongolia flight received a swag bag of commemorative items that included pajamas made specifically for the flight, along with other trinkets like a postcard and a pin showing the U.S. and Mongolian flags.
Up in first class, where I spent Thursday's flight, commemorative teddy bears also greeted us.
Passengers snapped pictures and took videos as they boarded, continuing to swap stories and share their excitement ahead of visiting a remote, new destination.
Even some among United's Guam-based crew joined the excitement.
"I've never been on an inaugural before," I heard one flight attendant say as she handed out Champagne in the first-class cabin. "It's exciting. I can't wait."
The buzz continued as the plane taxied and took off from Tokyo (about five minutes behind schedule).
Shortly after takeoff, the initial excitement gave way to dimmed cabin lights and a calmer atmosphere.
Keep in mind, though, that while this is a far-away, new destination for United, the flight itself isn't a long-haul trek on a wide-body plane; it's roughly the distance between United's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) hubs.
As such, the aircraft on the route was a 23-year-old Boeing 737-800 — registration No. N35260 — that showed its age (among other things, the Wi-Fi did not work).
The meal service featured a special one-time menu that highlighted Mongolian-themed selections like Mongolian beef short ribs, gobi-style chicken and "Ulaanbaatar barley and vegetable stew."
I ordered the beef, which didn't photograph well, nor was it the best airline meal I've ever had. The chicken dish photographed better. I didn't taste it myself, though it also received tepid reviews.
A little over five hours into our journey, the crew announced we had begun our descent to Ulaanbaatar.
Passengers clapped upon landing, on the heels of a five-hour and 41-minute flight.
Booking your seat on United's Mongolia flight
Want to snag a seat on one of United's Tokyo-Ulaanbaatar flights yourself?
Tickets start at around $486 round-trip in economy, or $1,413 in business class. The good news is, award tickets are readily available over the next few months. Economy tickets start at 30,000 United MileagePlus miles plus around $29-$30 in taxes and fees in each direction, while business-class awards start at 45,000 miles plus the same taxes and fees each way. You can transfer Bilt Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United at a 1:1 ratio.
Depending on prices, it might be an even better deal using Air Canada Aeroplan points. You'll need just 12,500 points each way in economy (though with higher taxes and fees of about $76), or 35,000 points in business class. You can transfer points to Aeroplan from:
American Express Membership Rewards points
Bilt Rewards Points
Capital One miles
Chase Ultimate Rewards points
So it's easy to stock up on them, even if you don't have any currently banked.

Published Date:2025-05-02