United Airlines has announced what it calls the largest South Pacific aviation expansion ever to and from the US, unveiling a raft of new flights and upgrades to existing services across Australia and New Zealand.
In October 2022, United became the first American carrier to link Queensland and the US with three-times-weekly flights between Brisbane and San Francisco; starting 28 October 2023, United will offer a daily service on the route.
UA will add to that service on 29 November 2023, when it commences new three-times-weekly Brisbane-Los Angeles flights. This service will make United Airlines the largest carrier between the US and Brisbane.
United will utilise its B787 Dreamliner on both routes.
“Brisbane Airport is the gateway to Australia, offering 24/7 operations and direct connections to 53 domestic destinations, more than any other airport in the country,’ Brisbane Airport Corporation CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff said.
“As Brisbane Airport welcomes more than 75% of all international arrivals into Queensland, partnering with United to increase SFO frequencies and add new non-stop LAX services is terrific news for tourism and hospitality businesses from Coolangatta to the Cape.”
The American carrier will also up flights between San Francisco and Sydney from 28 October 2023, moving to a twice-daily service using its B777-300ER aircraft. With this, UA will offer more Sydney-US flights than any other carrier.
Last summer, United became the largest airline on Melbourne-US flights when it increased round-trip services from 10 to 14 – with one daily flight between Melbourne and both San Francisco and Los Angeles. Commencing 28 October 2023, the carrier will upgrade its MEL-SFO flights by deploying its largest plane – the B777-300ER – on the route. The new jet will add nearly 100 daily seats to each flight.
Historic New Zealand flights
Across the ditch, United will launch the first-ever non-stop flight between San Francisco and Christchurch on 1 December 2023, becoming the only carrier to directly connect the US and New Zealand’s South Island. UA will operate its B787-8 on the route three times per week.
From 28 October 2023, United will also begin four-times-weekly flights between Auckland and Los Angeles, utilising its B787-9 Dreamliner. This service is in addition to its existing operation between AKL and SFO.
United will offer almost 70 per cent more seats to NZ than in 2019.
Big boost
In total, United will operate nearly 40 per cent more flights between the US and Australia/NZ next summer compared to last summer, with 66 flights running every week.
UA currently flies to more destinations down under than all other US carriers combined and serves more destinations in the region from the US than any other airline full-stop.
“This past winter, United enhanced our network and became the largest carrier to the South Pacific region. Now, this upcoming [northern] winter, we will expand even further,” United Airlines Senior Vice President of Global Network Planning and Alliances Patrick Quayle said.
“Our strong partnerships with Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia provide unparalleled connectivity, and with our historic expansion across five destinations in New Zealand and Australia, United is the clear choice for customers’ travel to the region.”
Tickets for all flights are already on sale.
For more information, visit the United Airlines website.
