By Paul Walsh

Minneapolis Star Tribune

One of the world’s largest commercial airlines is adding Rochester, Minn., to its web of passenger service.

United Airlines announced Monday morning that for the first time it will operate flights between Rochester and O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, home to the passenger carrier’s headquarters.

Three flights in each direction begin June 8, United said ahead of a news conference scheduled for late Monday morning at the Rochester International Airport.

The airport already has daily service from major carriers Delta and American.

“The addition of this service will provide 150 new departing seats per day, which is a capacity increase of 35 percent for our community,” John Reed, the airport’s executive director, said in a statement.

United’s outbound flights on 50-seat regional jets will have scheduled departures of 5:35 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 2:03 p.m. Inbound flights from Chicago have departures scheduled for 9:20 a.m., 12:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

As an example, a June 8 flight to Chicago and returning June 12 booked on www.united.com shows a round-trip economy fare of $310.

The addition of Rochester by United is part of a substantial expansion of domestic and European service that it announced Monday.

Rochester’s airport was established in 1928 by the Mayo Clinic, which relies heavily on air service for its personnel and patients. It is owned by the city and operated by Rochester Airport Co., a Mayo subsidiary.

“Transportation to Rochester has emerged as a major theme in our destination planning for our patients and the community,” John T. Wald, medical director of marketing for Mayo Clinic. “This exciting announcement opens the door to additional one-stop connections making travel to Rochester more convenient for our patients and visitors.”

United, which serves 360 cities on five continents, is joining rivals American and Delta in Rochester. American connects Rochester and Chicago O’Hare, while Delta connects Rochester with Atlanta and Minneapolis. Combined the three will offer 11 daily departures.