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Airbuses, 737s will return to Medford United will bring back its bigger planes, such as its Airbus A319 shown here, to the Medford airport in April. [123rf.com] Thursday Feb 23, 2017 at 3:26 PM Feb 24, 2017 at 7:07 AM Greg Stiles Mail Tribune @GregMTBusiness United Airlines is poised to bring back big birds with plenty of first-class seating to the Rogue Valley. It's been 15 years since the legacy airline pulled its Boeing 737s off the Medford-San Francisco route, turning over its flights to regional partner SkyWest Airlines. The first week of April, a 128-passenger United Airbus A319 will arrive from San Francisco International late in the evening and depart at 5:40 each morning. SkyWest operator United Express will handle two other daily departures for the Bay Area. "It's a reaction to overall increased demand from Medford to everywhere else," Ashland-based air travel writer Ed Perkins said. "The return of mainline service is a good sign for the Medford airport." Travelers booking flights in recent weeks have had the option, but United has yet to publicize the move. Based on United.com website prices, round-trip fares will still top $400. Telephone and email queries to United were not immediately returned Thursday. United and United Express formed a dominant combination before Alaska's Horizon Air unit surpassed the carrier in late 2005. In February 2014, United Express dipped to a low-water mark of 9,966 passengers. Triggered by a switch to 76-passenger Embraer-manufactured E175s in 2015, United Express rebounded in a big way, hauling nearly 27,000 passengers last August. Airport Director Bern Case said back-to-back record years supported United's decision. "The market is warranting it," he said. Perkins suggested United's gate issues at San Francisco played a key role in the decision. "United has a capacity problem in San Francisco, because it doesn't have gates," he said. "Without being a fly on the wall, I can only speculate, but I think it's a trade-off between bigger airplanes and lower frequency. They'll keep the same number of seats while alleviating congestion at San Francisco." United also will use Boeing 737s between Medford and San Francisco. On Memorial Day weekend, for example, United will employ a 138-passenger Boeing 737-800, equipped with 16 first-class seats. That's 62 more passengers than the E175s. The size of the aircraft triggers contract clauses requiring regular United flight crews to make the runs. Delta Global Services, which provides ground crews for United Express and Delta Connection flights, will also handle the legacy airline operations. United's unions may not have agreed to the arrangement 10 years ago, Case said, but are more willing at this point. There are other possible factors in the pursuit of market share. Alaska Air Group has completed its acquisition of Virgin America, whose West Coast hub is San Francisco. The Seattle-based airline has yet to integrate the operations, but there is a possibility Alaska could add a Bay Area connection in the future. "It will be interesting to see if United makes seats available at lower fares," Perkins said. "That's always been the complaint when you're flying from Medford to San Francisco." Indeed, United flights to Los Angeles, via San Francisco, are cheaper than flights terminating in the Bay Area. "It's the old hidden city thing, where airlines keep prices high to protect fortress hubs and cut prices on connections through those cities," Perkins said. For years, flights between the Bay Area and Rogue Valley have been plagued by weather cancellations and fog delays that can mess up connections. Case has long held the belief that larger aircraft are more likely to get clearance for takeoff. "A 30-passenger plane doesn't get near the priority of a 150-passenger plane," Case said. Some travelers have nixed San Francisco as an option all together. "It's great that there is a bigger plane that opens up more seats," said Brian Mein of Caveman Travel. "I'll have to wait and see what the airline plans on doing and see what actually happens."