It’s the airline’s largest South Pacific expansion ever.
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United Airlines is adding new routes to Australia and New Zealand later this year, marking the airline’s largest South Pacific expansion ever.
The new routes will launch from San Francisco and Los Angeles starting in October, reps for United shared with Travel + Leisure. The flights are part of United’s larger international expansion plans, which will see the airline fly to 114 international cities this summer.
“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,” Patrick Quayle, the senior vice president of global network planning and alliances, said in a statement provided to T+L. “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 Oct. 28, United will add four weekly flights from Los Angeles to Auckland, building on service it already flies from San Francisco to the New Zealand city. On the same day, United will also increase its service between San Francisco and both Sydney and Brisbane, as well as deploy its largest plane on flights between San Francisco and Melbourne.
On Nov. 29, the airline will add three weekly flights between Los Angeles and Brisbane, complimenting its current service between the city and San Francisco.
Finally, on Dec. 1, United will launch direct flights between San Francisco and Christchurch in New Zealand. With this new flight, United said it would become the only airline to offer direct flights between the United States and New Zealand’s South Island.
United isn’t alone in launching flights to New Zealand. Delta Air Lines also plans to launch a flight between Los Angeles and Auckland starting on Oct. 28. And currently, both Air New Zealand and Australian carrier Qantas offer nonstop flights from Los Angeles to Auckland. Air New Zealand also offers a direct flight from New York City, Houston, San Francisco, Honolulu, and Chicago.
