United Airlines is about to make a big splash in French Polynesia. Beginning Oct 30, United will fly 3 times a week on a widebody Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from its hub at San Francisco International nonstop to Papeete, the French Polynesia capital city on the island of Tahiti. The new route is significant because United will become the first US-based carrier to serve the island nation nonstop from the US mainland in nearly 30 years. Coincidentally, the last US-based carrier to serve Papeete nonstop was Continental Airlines, which merged with United in 2010. United’s move to relaunch service to Papeete from its growing San Francisco hub is part of the carrier’s larger strategy of creating a route network in the Asia Pacific region that includes more destinations than any of its principal US-based legacy competitors. <br/>