United Airlines has made capacity cuts on its routes between the US – Los Angeles, San Francisco and Houston – and Australia for the Northern Winter, its peak period from Australia.
The decrease includes a reduction in frequency between San Francisco (SFO) and Sydney (SYD), which will only have a second daily flight four times per week from 20 December 2024 to 5 March 2025 instead of a double-daily service.
The aircraft on this route will also be downgraded from a B777-300ER to a B777-200ER, which equates to around 75 seats per flight.
Melbourne (MEL)-SFO flights will also see a reduction in capacity, as United switches from a B777-300ER to a B787-9 aircraft – a reduction of around 95 seats per flight.
Flights between Los Angeles (LAX) and MEL, originally scheduled to run daily in November 2024, will now run three times per week.
Elsewhere, United Airlines will reduce frequency on its Houston (IAH)-Sydney flights from daily to three times weekly in November and December 2024, but will return it to a daily service afterwards.
These cuts follow earlier announcements that United would not operate its seasonal routes from Los Angeles to Auckland and Brisbane this peak season.
United Airlines Regional Manager Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti Tim Wallis confirmed the changes to Karryon, saying the amendments were about “right-sizing” within the United fleet and “best maximising” aircraft for the early and late parts of the Northern Winter – which spans November 2024 to late March 2025.
Wallis said the changes come after the airline added a lot of capacity last Australian summer, which saw the US airline become the carrier with the most seats between Australia and North America during the peak holiday period.
He added that the airline is still committed to “holding that place in the market”.
Despite the reductions, United maintains a larger presence in Australia than American Airlines and Delta Air Lines combined, as it continues to operate six routes between the US and Australia, with five year-round and one seasonal service.
Meanwhile, a United Airlines spokesperson told Karryon the airline “regularly evaluates its schedule and makes adjustments based on demand and the broader needs of our network”.
Wallis confirmed there are no new changes to its schedules for New Zealand, which includes its Christchurch-SFO service, or its Tahiti operations in the South Pacific.
Last year, United Airlines announced what it called 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 December, it also launched the only link between New Zealand’s South Island and North America.
Read our review of United Airlines’ flights from Sydney to San Francisco to Miami.
Karryon also reviewed the UA service on UA61 between Melbourne and San Francisco.
