Last edit by: IBJoel
27 March 2018
United Airlines suspends NZ service (Suspension Period: April 18, 2017 - October 30, 2017)
Per New Zealand Herald quoting UA:
Air New Zealand service between Auckland and Chicago
From Nov. 30, 2018, Air New Zealand will operate three times weekly, year-round service with its new configuration Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. Flight time will be approximately 15 hours northbound and just over 16 hours southbound. Air New Zealand code share service will be offered on around 100 flights across the U.S. for convenient connections to Auckland via Chicago. United Airlines operates more flights from its hub at O'Hare International Airport than any other airline, with more than 500 flights to 147 airports across the United States.
United expands service between San Francisco and Auckland
Beginning in April 2019, United will extend service between its West Coast hub in San Francisco and Auckland to year-round with three-times-weekly service. In partnership with Air New Zealand, United's flight arriving in Auckland will offer passengers more than 20 connections across the region. The return trip utilizes United's extensive route network in San Francisco, which provides connections to the United States, Canada, and Latin America. United operates more than 290 daily flights from its hub at San Francisco International Airport to 79 airports across the U.S. and 26 international destinations. Tickets for the expanded San Francisco schedule will be available on united.com and airnewzealand.com later this year.
United service between San Francisco and Auckland will operate with a Boeing 777-300ER between November and March and will operate with Boeing 777-200ER aircraft between April and October.
From Nov. 30, 2018, Air New Zealand will operate three times weekly, year-round service with its new configuration Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. Flight time will be approximately 15 hours northbound and just over 16 hours southbound. Air New Zealand code share service will be offered on around 100 flights across the U.S. for convenient connections to Auckland via Chicago. United Airlines operates more flights from its hub at O'Hare International Airport than any other airline, with more than 500 flights to 147 airports across the United States.
United expands service between San Francisco and Auckland
Beginning in April 2019, United will extend service between its West Coast hub in San Francisco and Auckland to year-round with three-times-weekly service. In partnership with Air New Zealand, United's flight arriving in Auckland will offer passengers more than 20 connections across the region. The return trip utilizes United's extensive route network in San Francisco, which provides connections to the United States, Canada, and Latin America. United operates more than 290 daily flights from its hub at San Francisco International Airport to 79 airports across the U.S. and 26 international destinations. Tickets for the expanded San Francisco schedule will be available on united.com and airnewzealand.com later this year.
United service between San Francisco and Auckland will operate with a Boeing 777-300ER between November and March and will operate with Boeing 777-200ER aircraft between April and October.
UA will now fly the 77W on SFO AKL when it resumes operation 29OCT17 - 22MAR18 (from SFO). Overall frequency will be 6 weekly, and increasing to 7 weekly from mid-Dec. UA73/74 is canceled.
http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/...as-of-01sep17/
http://www.routesonline.com/news/38/...as-of-01sep17/
Per New Zealand Herald quoting UA:
This change is in response to seasonal variations, which will also see United Airlines adding an additional three flights per week starting December 18, 2017 after resuming its daily Auckland to San Francisco services on October 31, 2017. This will increase services to a total of 10 United's flights per week during the high seasonal demand period. Passengers who have already purchased tickets during the suspended period are being contacted by the airline and offered flights on the Air New Zealand service instead. We apologise to customers for any inconvenience and advise that customers will not be out of pocket as a result of this shift in scheduling and will retain all frequent flyer benefits."
SFO-AKL JV w/NZ, all year UA metal, 77W Nov18-Mar19, 772 Apr19-Oct19 (+newORD-AKL NZ)
#47
Senior Moderator; Moderator, Eco-Conscious Travel, United and Flyertalk Cares
Join Date: Jun 1999
Location: Fulltime travel/mostly Europe
Programs: UA 1.7 MM;; Accor & Marriott Pt; Hyatt Globalist
Posts: 17,831
#48
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: The electrified part of North Carolina
Programs: UA GM, AA GM, DL GM
Posts: 4,157
#49
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: The electrified part of North Carolina
Programs: UA GM, AA GM, DL GM
Posts: 4,157
#51
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: East Coast
Programs: AA CONCIERGE KEY & 1MM, HILTON DIAMOND
Posts: 11,970
#52
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: All of them, UA-Plat, 1MM*G
Posts: 881
And UA used to offer 747 service between HNL and AKL and had, unfortunately, a fatal accident for nine of its passengers. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Airlines_Flight_811
#53
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Chicago, IL
Programs: Marriott Ambassador, UA Mileage Plus 1K, AA Executive Plat, Marriott Ambassador Elite
Posts: 2,344
had the merger between CO / UA never happened, then we may have seen IAH-AKL come to fruition. However, with two west coast hubs thrown into the mix, it made no sense to offer a flight into IAH.
#54
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: EWR, PHL
Programs: UA1k 3MM, AA Plt, peasant on everybody else, elite something or other at a bunch of hotels.
Posts: 4,637
Perhaps the 787 makes this a (more?) viable option. QF ran a 744 on this route, which then continued on to MEL, at least the time I took it.
#55
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London & Sonoma CA
Programs: UA 1K, MM *G for life, BAEC Gold
Posts: 10,225
The 787 makes many routes more viable but it's even more viable simply to substitute it for a less efficient plane on an existing route - and then retire that plane, which seems to be the core plan
#56
Join Date: Nov 2009
Programs: United mileage Plus 1k and Million Miler, Krisflyer, Air New Zealand, Qantas, Virgin
Posts: 211
I was pondering the routing potential and was wondering if this was related to NZ's announcement that it was adding another US flight. Is there reciprocity involved here somewhere? If NZ gains a US route, surely it has to give something back for this.
A secondary issue had me wondering about NZ's recent closer ties to SQ. Last year NZ returned to Singapore and SQ added more flights to NZ, with both offering more fluid code share. Is something similar in works for US/NZ?
A secondary issue had me wondering about NZ's recent closer ties to SQ. Last year NZ returned to Singapore and SQ added more flights to NZ, with both offering more fluid code share. Is something similar in works for US/NZ?
#57
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: The electrified part of North Carolina
Programs: UA GM, AA GM, DL GM
Posts: 4,157
It was an A333 during the last period before the cancellation, and the aircraft was also used for the LAX-JFK-LAX turn. The 787 would obviously give better fuel economy, but with two or three daily NZ LAX-AKL flights, there may not be enough demand for another flight.
#58
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Canada
Programs: Star Alliance G*, Marriott Bonvoy Titanium,
Posts: 3,585
NZ v. UA
Is this really true? NZ has the Sky Couch, no??
It is certainly true that NZ's leisure fares do not accrue MP credits (nor AP credits, for that matter).
It is also true that NZ fares are much higher than Aussie fares, reflecting its monopoly status. That's why I am routing to AKL via SIN (on SQ).
Currently, UA channels its Kiwi-bound passengers via SYD & MEL, so a new dedicated SFO-AKL route would divert some of these passengers.
It is certainly true that NZ's leisure fares do not accrue MP credits (nor AP credits, for that matter).
It is also true that NZ fares are much higher than Aussie fares, reflecting its monopoly status. That's why I am routing to AKL via SIN (on SQ).
Currently, UA channels its Kiwi-bound passengers via SYD & MEL, so a new dedicated SFO-AKL route would divert some of these passengers.
#59
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: GVA (Greater Vancouver Area)
Programs: DREAD Gold; UA 1.035MM; Bonvoy Au-197; PCC Elite+; CCC Elite+; MSC C-12; CWC Au-197; WoH Dis
Posts: 52,140
#60
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2001
Location: LAX; AA EXP, MM; HH Gold
Posts: 31,789
I may be misunderstanding your post (and if so, please forgive me), but New Zealand and the USA have an open skies treaty, so airlines from both countries can begin as many new flights as they want between the two countries without specific approval. Of course, the airlines still have to meet basic fitness requirements, etc. It's not like the USA and China, where both countries airlines have limited numbers of frequencies and the airlines have to ask their own governments for permission to use some of those limited frequencies.