A United Airlines plane is parked on the tarmac at San Francisco International Airport.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
united airlines On Tuesday, the airline plans to expand Asia flights again in the coming months as part of its efforts to capitalize on the boom in long-haul international travel that has helped airlines return to profitability after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Airline executives say international travel bookings have surged this year as travelers seek long-haul trips they’ve put off during the pandemic amid a raft of travel restrictions and virus concerns. In response, airlines have been beefing up flight schedules.
Related investment news
“Overall, the Pacific is as strong, if not stronger, than the Atlantic is today,” Patrick Quayle, United’s senior vice president of global network planning and alliances, told reporters. New flights to New Zealand and Australia were announced in April.
Beginning October 29, United will operate daily nonstop flights between San Francisco and Manila, becoming the only U.S. airline to offer nonstop service from the continental U.S. to the Philippine capital. The company will use its largest aircraft — Boeing 777-300ER, the route.
The airline is also adding a second nonstop flight between San Francisco and Taipei, Taiwan, starting Oct. 29, and plans to resume flights from Los Angeles, in addition to flights between Los Angeles and the more city-centric Haneda Airport. Serving international airports flying to Tokyo Narita Airport.
Demand for Tokyo flights has been high since Japan lifted travel restrictions earlier this year, Quayle said.
Chinese services still face challenges
Nonetheless, Manchester United still faces some constraints in its development in China, including Russian airspace restrictions. As a result, United will not resume other routes from Newark Liberty International Airport to Hong Kong, Quayle said. However, the airline will offer flights from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, increasing its daily nonstop flights to Hong Kong to three daily, including a flight from San Francisco.
He said United and other airlines are in talks with the U.S. government about resuming service with their Chinese counterparts.
There were 312 flights between the U.S. and China between June and the end of August this year, down from 4,800 in 2019, according to aviation data firm Cirium.
As of the coming winter, United will fly the same number of transpacific flights as in 2019, but if China flights are excluded, the number will increase by about 40%, a spokesman said.
newark international airport
United is considering cutting schedules at its Newark hub due to harsh summer weather, traffic congestion and a shortage of air traffic controllers. However, Quayle said it would not affect international service.
“Our goal is to have reliable, consistent operations globally in Newark,” he said. “We’re not going to cut down on international games, but obviously we’re going to make some changes.”
After the market close on Wednesday, United will report its quarterly results. Executives are likely to outline the changes they are considering in Newark during a conference call at 10:30 a.m. ET Thursday.