summary
- United Airlines is reducing the capacity and frequency of its flights to Australia from its US hubs.
- The original second daily flight from San Francisco to Sydney is scheduled to operate in October, just four times a week.
- United’s decision to keep the Boeing 787 between San Francisco and Melbourne will reduce the number of seats on each flight by 93.
United Airlines Qatar Airways has reduced capacity and the number of flights to Australia from its West Coast hubs in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The reductions, including some equipment changes, are due to begin at the end of October.
The Chicago-based airline will also cut flights from its Houston hub. Despite the cuts, United’s network in Australia remains large compared to its other two U.S. counterparts.
San Francisco – Sydney
Service between San Francisco International Airport (SFO) And Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) It operates once daily, but is usually boosted by an extra daily flight for the winter season to meet demand. According to the Independent Aviation Blog, Echerion AviationUnited will reduce the second daily flight to just four weekly flights. Instead of starting in November, the flight will only be offered from December 20 to March 5, 2025. The airline is currently publishing Boeing 777-300ER On the road but flights will be reduced to 777-200ER.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flight
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United’s 777-300ER is its largest aircraft in terms of passenger capacity and is equipped with the highest quality seating. The aircraft accommodates a total of 350 passengers in a three-class configuration. Premium cabins feature 60 Polaris seats that convert into flat beds and 24 Premium Plus seats, the airline’s equivalent of Premium Economy. Economy class features 266 seats. 62 Economy Plus seats with extra legroom.
When the San Francisco-Sydney flights are converted to 777-200ER aircraft, the route will lose 74 seats per flight. The smaller version seats 276 passengers in a three-class configuration. United’s Polaris aircraft are equipped with 50 lie-flat seats, while the Premium Plus aircraft have 24 reclining seats. The economy cabin has 202 seats, 46 of which are Economy Plus.
Qantas also flies on the San Francisco-Sydney route, but its flights are less than half as frequent as United. According to aviation data and analytics firm Cirium, United has 72 scheduled flights on the route in December — 36 in each direction. Qantas will operate just 28 flights — 14 in each direction.
Keeping the Dreamliner instead of the -300ER
United is the only airline that flies directly between San Francisco and Melbourne Airport (MEL)Currently, the route is operated daily by 787-9 DreamlinerAs of last week, the airline had planned to replace the 787-9 with a 777-300ER on October 26, which would add more seats on the route, but those plans have since changed. Instead, the 787-9 will remain on the route.
Photo: United Airlines
The second-largest, but most popular, Dreamliner has a capacity of 257 passengers. The Polaris cabin has 48 lie-flat seats, while premium class has 21. The remaining 188 seats are economy class — 39 of which are premium economy. United’s decision to keep the 787-9 on this route amounts to a reduction of 93 seats per flight, or 5,580 seats per month, from the original capacity plans.
From Los Angeles and Houston
According to the aviation control authority John New YorkUnited will also reduce frequencies between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Qantas had planned to operate daily flights on its 787-9 aircraft from last week, but has now reduced the frequency to three flights a week, resulting in 13 flights each way, or just 26 flights in total for the month. Qantas has the majority market share on the route. The airline will continue to operate daily flights on either its 787-9 or Airbus A380 aircraft.
In addition, United will reduce its daily 787-9 flights between George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) The airline will significantly reduce its capacity to Australia this fall, but its network remains larger than American Airlines and Delta Air Lines combined. According to JonNYC, United has six routes to Australia — five of which are year-round. American Airlines and Delta have just two, with only one of those routes offered year-round.
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