Summary
- United Airlines operates a unique inter-island service called the Island Hopper, connecting Hawaii to Guam across the Pacific Ocean.
- The Manila Hopper is a sister service of the Island Hopper, operating daily from Manila to Koror (Palau) and then to Guam.
- Palau International Airport in Koror is well connected to Australasia and East Asia, with flights from major carriers like China Airlines and Jeju Air.
Undoubtedly, the US legacy carrier that has the strongest presence within the Pacific Ocean is United Airlines, which interestingly maintains a hub at Antonio B Won Pat International Airport (GUM) in Guam. Many have heard of the carrier’s storied “Island Hopper” service, which connects Hawaii to Guam via an extremely unique routing.
Everything You Need To Know About The United Airlines Island Hopper Service
By taking United’s Island Hopper, one can travel to small islands and US territories across the West-central Pacific, a region that would otherwise be mostly inaccessible to travelers. But this well-known service is not United’s only inter-island route in the remote Pacific.
The Island Hopper’s sister service, the Manila Hopper, is also fascinating to explore. In this article, let’s take a look at the background behind United’s stopping service from Guam to Manila.
Service specifications
Operationally, the Manila Hopper is very similar to the Island Hopper, so much so that many believe a complete “United island hopping journey” consists of completing both flights. For starters, the Manila Hopper is served by the same specially configured Boeing 737-800 aircraft as the Island Hopper service.
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In terms of scheduling, however, the Manila Hopper operates more frequently than the Island Hopper, with a daily service. At 22:40, United Airlines Flight 192 departs from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL) in Manila and touches down at Roman Tmetuchl International Airport (ROR) in Koror, Palau, a few hours later at 02:35.
Then, the aircraft takes off from Palau a few hours later at 03:25 and touches down in Guam a few hours later at 06:30. In the reverse direction, the flight operates as United Airlines Flight 193 and departs Guam at 19:50 and is set to touch down in Koror at 21:00. Lastly, the flight takes off again at 21:50 and touches down in Manila shortly before midnight at 23:50.
A unique stopover
While flights between Guam and Manila aren’t all that novel (United operates direct flights between these two island cities as well), the presence of a stop in Koror is rather fascinating to explore. ROR, which is also known simply as Palau International Airport, serves the largest city of the small Pacific island nation of Palau.
Despite serving a nation with a population of less than 19,000, Palau’s primary airport is relatively well connected to the rest of Australasia and East Asia, with flights from multiple major carriers. China Airlines flies from the island to its Taipei hub, and Jeju Air, the largest low-cost carrier in South Korea, provides nonstop connections to its Seoul-Incheon hub.
United Airlines is also not the only American legacy carrier to have served the small island. In the past, Delta Air Lines operated direct service between Manila and Tokyo-Narita International Airport (NRT) but canceled the service in 2018. Nonetheless, the airport has seen its fair share of fascinating moments and memorable events. In 2015, Japanese emperor Akihito came to visit Palau alongside his wife.