New Concept United Club Not Coming to Melbourne Airport
Jeff Edwards October 31, 2014
Despite choosing Melbourne, Australia as the destination for the pride of its fleet, the brand new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, United Airlines has no plans to bring the next generation of United Clubs down under.
On Tuesday, United Airlines started flying the longest Dreamliner route in the world from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Australia’s Melbourne Airport (MEL) in Australia. The extended range of United’s brand new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner made this remarkable new route possible, but it’s the amenities onboard the new aircraft that the airline is bragging about.
The new Dreamliner has 48 United Business First flatbed seats and electrical, USB and Wi-Fi connectivity built into each one. The Dreamliner also features an advanced air filtration system, 10 percent higher humidity and a cabin pressurized to a more comfortable 6,000 feet.
“Last year our customers gave the 787 the highest customer satisfaction scores of any aircraft in our fleet, and we know they’ll enjoy what the 787-9 has to offer,” Ron Baur, United’s vice president of fleet, proclaimed when the airline became the first in North America to take delivery of the new 787-9 Dreamliner.
With United choosing MEL to host its most advanced aircraft and an historic new route, the airport seems a natural location for the next generation of United Club lounges the carrier began rolling out last year. The company, however, told Australian Business Traveler during the launch of the inaugural LAX-MEL flight that there are no plans to bring the new concept clubs to MEL.
While MEL will have to make do with new service on a brand new plane without the latest in United Club lounges, the airport is still faring better than Sydney Airport (SYD), which doesn’t have a Dreamliner route or a United Club at all.
[Photo: Australian Business Traveler]
We are fortunate to have a UC at MEL at all considering the small number of passengers per day.
absolutely unacceptable on the part of United. Shame on them for throwing there best plane to a route like MEL and not even offering a lounge to compliment the 787.
It's not a historic new route. They flew lax-mel before on a 747.
Did UA ever claim that they would be bringing a new UC to MEL? So the news here is that there is no news. UA never claimed that they would be opening a new UC, and they confirmed that they aren't. Linking to the original AusBT article, (slightly) more newsworthy would be that UA is not planning to open a UC at SYD, but to continue using the NZ Koru Club.
"but it’s the amenities onboard the new aircraft that the airline is bragging about" No word of the 10% narrower seats on the Barbie jet .... If Boeing thinks that the 787 will be remembered for its electric starter system, the composite percentage, and the bleed-air-free air circulation system, they ought to reconsider that a very different common memory might stick...