UAL to Phase In 30 New Daily Flights From LAX

United Airlines, confirming a report in The Times, on Monday announced 30 new daily flights from Los Angeles International Airport, its newest hub. The new flights will be phased in starting Sept. 7. United, the main unit of UAL Corp., said the expansion includes additional flights to Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando, Atlanta and Honolulu. The airline’s low-cost Shuttle by United also will start additional service from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara, Palm Springs, San Diego and Reno, Nev., among other cities.

The move follows a West Coast expansion recently announced by United’s archrival, AMR Corp.’s American Airlines. But Chris Bowers, United’s senior vice president for North America, said United’s action “doesn’t have anything to do with American” but had been in the works for some time. United has just completed a yearlong, $260-million upgrade of its LAX terminal. Bowers declined to comment on whether United would launch fare sales to promote its expanded LAX service.