United Airlines has unveiled its largest
ever South Pacific network expansion to and from the continental
U.S.A., including the first non-stop flights between San Francisco
and Christchurch set to commence on 1 December 2023.
United will be the
only carrier to directly connect the U.S.A. with the South Island of
New Zealand (Aotearoa).
With 66 flights between the U.S.A. and Australia/New
Zealand every week, United will operate nearly 40% more flights
to Australia and New Zealand next northern winter
versus last year.
The carrier is adding new direct flights from Los Angeles
to Brisbane and Auckland and increasing service to the region from
its San Francisco hub with daily flights to Brisbane, twice daily
flights to Sydney and flying larger aircraft to Melbourne.
And,
thanks to United’s relationship with Air New Zealand and Virgin
Australia, travelers can enjoy easy one-stop connections from
those cities to more than 50 destinations in the region.
“This past winter, United enhanced our network and became
the largest carrier to the South Pacific region. Now, this
upcoming winter, we will expand even further,” said Patrick
Quayle, Senior Vice President of Global Network Planning and
Alliances. “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.”
Starting
1 December, United will become the only airline to offer direct
flights between the U.S. and New Zealand’s South Island, with the
first direct San Francisco-Christchurch service.
United will fly
the route thrice weekly using Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner airraft.
United’s new flight to Christchurch is part of the airline’s
broader expansion efforts in New Zealand and next winter, the
airline will be nearly 70% larger in New Zealand than in 2019.
Next winter, United will build
on its position as the largest U.S. airline to Auckland, adding
four weekly flights from Los Angeles. United is the only U.S.
carrier to serve Auckland year-round with its existing service
from San Francisco. The airline will fly its Los Angeles-Auckland route
using Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, starting 28 October 2023.
In winter 2022, United became the only
airline to offer direct flights between Brisbane and San
Francisco. On 29 November 2023, United will add to this service by
adding thrice weekly Los Angles-Brisbane flights using a Boeing 787-9
Dreamliner.
In
addition to adding new flights to its schedule, United will also
increase service from San Francisco to Brisbane and Sydney.
Starting 28 October, United will offer daily flights between San
Francisco and Brisbane using Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft and will be
able to fly nearly triple the number of customers to Brisbane from
the US next winter than it did in 2022.
The airline will also fly
twice daily between San Francisco and Sydney using Boeing 777-300ERs
starting 28 October.
This
past winter, United became the largest airline from the U.S. to
Melbourne, increasing from ten to fourteen weekly round trip
flights, with one daily flight from both San Francisco and Los
Angeles.
Starting 28 October 2023, United will deploy its largest
airplane on flights between San Francisco-Melbourne. The 777-300ER
will add nearly 100 daily seats to each departure. Compared to
winter 2019, United will offer 65% more seats to Melbourne.
International flights are subject to required
government approvals.
