United Airlines plans to begin new flights this year to Australia and Asia as part of a broader effort by the carrier to deploy incoming widebody jets to more far-flung destinations.
The airline on 26 October intends to begin daily flights using Boeing 787-9s from Hong Kong to both Bangkok in Thailand and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, United said on 2 April.
Additionally, on 25 October, the Chicago-based carrier plans to launch a second daily flight, using 777-300ERs, between San Francisco and Manila in the Philippines.
Then on 11 December, United will begin flying three-times weekly with 787-9s between San Francisco and Adelaide in Australia, making it the first airline to fly to that city direct from the USA.
With the additions, United says it offers flights to 17 destinations in the Asia-Pacific region.
The expansion comes as part of a push by the airline to boost its international flying, particularly out of its long-time San Francisco hub.
United will carry 20% more seats to and from San Francisco in 2025 than last year, “reflecting its long-term strategy to re-establish SFO as a global gateway”, United said on 3 April.
United’s number of seats at San Francisco this year will be 6% more than in pre-pandemic 2019.
Last year, United added flights from San Francisco to Monterrey in Mexico and to Belize, and in May it plans to begin flying from San Francisco to San Jose in Costa Rico and to Panama City, Panama. With those additions, United will serve nine destinations from the Northern California airport.
United also flies from San Francisco to eight European destinations.
The carrier has in recent years been working to expand its fleet of widebody jets. United operates 76 787s, 96 777s and 53 767s and has unfilled orders for 145 787-9s and 45 Airbus A350s, according to data analytics firm Cirium.
