United Airlines announced a second San Francisco – Manila flight, new service from San Francisco to Adelaide, Australia and flights to Bangkok, Thailand and to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
- Seasonal Adelaide Service. No airline has ever flown non-stop from the U.S. to Adelaide, about 725 miles west of Sydney. New seasonal three times weekly service starting December 11 with a Boeing 787-9 is another roll of the dice. United partners for domestic connecting traffic with Virgin Australia, which helps a bit, but they already get that with existing Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne service. This is a bet on passenger traveling to and from South Australian capital city of 1.4 million. United is the largest carrier between the U.S. and Australia, surprising many that it isn’t Qantas.
- Flights to Bangkok. I wrote back in September that United was looking to add Bangkok service they just didn’t announce it in the fall. Starting October 26 it’s here with a Boeing 787-9. And it’s the way they used to serve it – intra-Asia. The flight will be from Hong Kong, non non-stop from the United States.
Chao Phraya River
Street Food in Bangkok’s Chinatown - Flights to Ho Chi Minh City. I flew United from Hong Kong to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2009 on a Boeing 747. Hong Kong fifth freedom flying is back with United returning to Vietnam October 26th with a Boeing 787-9. I also suggested Ho Chi Minh City as a probably United expansion route in September. United flew Hong Kong to Ho Chi Minh City from 2004 through 2016. (The route was downgraded to a Boeing 737 in 2011.)
Presidential Palace
Pho Hoa - Second Manila Flight. When United announced Manila service two years ago it seemed like a bit of a long shot. Only Philippine Airlines flew non-stop from the U.S. to Manila, and the impression was always that this was a low yielding route – largely ‘visiting friends and relatives’ business. It’s clearly wound up successful – they’re even dedicating a large Boeing 777-300ER to the flight.
Manila Airport
United is clearly the global carrier among U.S. airlines, and among airlines with the widest reaches in the world, willing to take big swings even to destinations where they lack partners or connecting traffic and that haven’t demonstrated passenger demand yet. Most seem to work in the sense that they’re able to support continued operations and have been growing profitability.
I find the service from Hong Kong especially interesting, because they have been growing their flying from Tokyo Narita to Asian destinations, taking advantage of route authorities they acquired decades ago from Pan Am.
However Hong Kong to Bangkok and to Ho Chi Minh City are only around 1,000 miles each and using existing aircraft flying to Hong Kong can make for efficient scheduling if they can fill the aircraft, versus dedicating planes to 2,700 and 2,900 mile flights from Tokyo. That helps de-risk these route additions.
And with Adelaide being only three-times weekly and seasonal, their downside is limited and the flight doesn’t need to return the following season if it doesn’t work. It will be interesting to learn if that one is subsidized, the way new service to Brisbane has been.