SFO-XIY (Xi'an, China) summer seasonal service discontinued {will not return in 2018}
Dec 8, 2017, 10:58 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: BDL/NYC/BOS
Programs: UA/*A Gold, Global Entry, Marriott Plat, Hilton+IHG Gold, Hertz PC, DL
Posts: 1,752
SFO-XIY (Xi'an, China) summer seasonal service discontinued {will not return in 2018}
first HGH, now XIY. brian sumers (all credit to him) tweeted a what is probably a screenshot of a UA internal memo that states XIY service will not return next summer:
Dec 8, 2017, 11:10 pm
#2
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NYC (Primarily EWR)
Programs: UA 1K / *G, Marriott Bonvoy Gold; Avis PC
Posts: 9,005
That sucks - it was a route I did want to try. Do folks think CTU will get chopped at some point as well, or does that have enough corporate traffic to be sustainable? I also wonder if primary cause is the rise of Chinese airlines flying internationally...I know folks will want to point the finger at the Dao incident.
I also wonder where the Dreamliner is going to go...feel like UA has a lot of them but doesn’t necessarily do as well on long/thin routes that it should service. Maybe make SFO-AKL a a year-round route with downgauged/less frequent service during off peak season?
I also wonder where the Dreamliner is going to go...feel like UA has a lot of them but doesn’t necessarily do as well on long/thin routes that it should service. Maybe make SFO-AKL a a year-round route with downgauged/less frequent service during off peak season?
Dec 8, 2017, 11:11 pm
#3
Join Date: Feb 2008
Programs: 6 year GS, now 2MM Jeff-ugee, *wood LTPlt, SkyPeso PLT
Posts: 6,526
But United's damaged brand was simply not going to attract the kind of traffic ex-XIY to make this flight viable.
Dec 8, 2017, 11:16 pm
#4
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Bay Area
Programs: UA 1k now; AA (no status); HY Diamond; SPG Platinum
Posts: 707
That sucks - it was a route I did want to try. Do folks think CTU will get chopped at some point as well, or does that have enough corporate traffic to be sustainable? I also wonder if primary cause is the rise of Chinese airlines flying internationally...I know folks will want to point the finger at the Dao incident.
I also wonder where the Dreamliner is going to go...feel like UA has a lot of them but doesn’t necessarily do as well on long/thin routes that it should service. Maybe make SFO-AKL a a year-round route with downgauged/less frequent service during off peak season?
I also wonder where the Dreamliner is going to go...feel like UA has a lot of them but doesn’t necessarily do as well on long/thin routes that it should service. Maybe make SFO-AKL a a year-round route with downgauged/less frequent service during off peak season?
Dec 8, 2017, 11:25 pm
#5
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,461
Dec 8, 2017, 11:58 pm
#7
Join Date: Jan 2013
Programs: UA S, Marriott Gold (UA), Hertz PC (UA), HH Gold (cc), Avis PP, National EC Executive
Posts: 280
O.O...any other tips on for easiest long-haul R availability? How do you know this? Just experience?
I've found SFO-TPE to have pretty good R open on Tues/Wed..but I really only have an idea of ease-of-upgrade for flight routes I've traveled. I haven't spent much time investigating others for potential mileage run ops. But since I've got 8 GPUs to burn next year, no corporate travel, and a foreign address...if there are some decent longhauls with R that aren't too expensive maybe I could put together 2-3 MRs/travel trips. I looked briefly at an east asia to south america connection United trip for fun. For about $2k you can get ~30k miles. But you spend 33 hours traveling, and I didn't investigate if the EWR-<south america> leg could clear.
I've found SFO-TPE to have pretty good R open on Tues/Wed..but I really only have an idea of ease-of-upgrade for flight routes I've traveled. I haven't spent much time investigating others for potential mileage run ops. But since I've got 8 GPUs to burn next year, no corporate travel, and a foreign address...if there are some decent longhauls with R that aren't too expensive maybe I could put together 2-3 MRs/travel trips. I looked briefly at an east asia to south america connection United trip for fun. For about $2k you can get ~30k miles. But you spend 33 hours traveling, and I didn't investigate if the EWR-<south america> leg could clear.
Dec 9, 2017, 4:13 am
#8
Join Date: Dec 2016
Location: LAX
Programs: MVP100K, A-list, Marriott/IHG Plat, CHP525 Ticket Plat, CHP Solo Carpool 100K, Costco EXP, Tinder 1K
Posts: 820
It is weird that UA didn't mention XIY can also be served by connecting partner Juneyao Airlines with a connection at PVG. UA sells those tickets though.
Dec 9, 2017, 6:11 am
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: DAY
Programs: UA 1K 1MM; Marriott LT Titanium; Amex MR; Chase UR; Hertz PC; Global Entry
Posts: 10,159
"...with convenient connections at PEK (Beijing)."
PEK is anything but convenient for connections....
Now that all these China flights are failing, can we get BKK back now please...
Dec 9, 2017, 7:03 am
#10
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: PIT-SCE-AOO-PHL-NYC-WAS
Programs: free agent
Posts: 1,036
Dec 9, 2017, 7:29 am
#11
Join Date: May 2012
Location: ORF, RIC
Programs: UA LT 1K, 3 MM; Marriott Titanium; IHG Platinum
Posts: 6,958
I took PVG-ORD flight after the cancellation of PVG-SFO on Monday. It was 2/3 empty.
Perhaps, United does not want travelers to take its flight to China by pricing unreasonably high. For example, IAD-PEK, $1700 in economy, $1497 in Business one-way as part of round trip search. For travelling to PVG in February, the lowest fare is W. Nobody will buy this ticket unless you have to burn a GPU.
Perhaps, United does not want travelers to take its flight to China by pricing unreasonably high. For example, IAD-PEK, $1700 in economy, $1497 in Business one-way as part of round trip search. For travelling to PVG in February, the lowest fare is W. Nobody will buy this ticket unless you have to burn a GPU.
Dec 9, 2017, 7:50 am
#12
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Floating around
Programs: UA 1K (1MM), DL Gold (1MM), Marriott LTT
Posts: 10,345
-RM
Dec 9, 2017, 7:53 am
#13
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: NYC (Primarily EWR)
Programs: UA 1K / *G, Marriott Bonvoy Gold; Avis PC
Posts: 9,005
As Chinese airlines continue to grow, I think it will be harder to justify flying outside of the major cities. The domestic airlines will always get more traffic ex-China, and there’s never going to be enough destination traffic ex-US (at least that I can foresee) to sustain these routes.
Dec 9, 2017, 8:29 am
#14
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: New York, NY
Programs: UA, AA, DL, Hertz, Avis, National, Hyatt, Hilton, SPG, Marriott
Posts: 9,452
Hate to say I told you so, but I called this over two years ago: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/25478610-post78.html I am sure I deserved some of the crud I took But United's damaged brand was simply not going to attract the kind of traffic ex-XIY to make this flight viable.
But United's damaged brand was simply not going to attract the kind of traffic ex-XIY to make this flight viable.incidentally, since we are referencing posts several years old, at the time you seemed rather certain that SFO/LAX-BKK could not be done with a 787-9... since then, SFO-SIN, LAX-SIN and IAH-SYD all have been announced, each longer than SFO/LAX-BKK.
Dec 9, 2017, 8:32 am
#15
Join Date: Jan 2016
Programs: UA 1K; *G, AA Plat
Posts: 1,700
Hate to say I told you so, but I called this over two years ago: https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/25478610-post78.html I am sure I deserved some of the crud I took But United's damaged brand was simply not going to attract the kind of traffic ex-XIY to make this flight viable.
But United's damaged brand was simply not going to attract the kind of traffic ex-XIY to make this flight viable.At the airport on a Sat and my flight is 100% full. (Yes it's one data point lol) The brand is fine.