Kacee

Part of the rationale is probably that the SFO flights are for connecting traffic as well as O/D, while LAX is intended primarily for O/D traffic.

It is annoying. I really prefer a later TATL westbound departure. The work day is blown anyway, might as well not have to rush to the airport in the morning.

JVPhoto

IIRC BR has LAX-TPE 777s at like 12:05 and 12:30am. When I flew it they were the gates right across from each other lol.

lhrsfo

The second SFO flight always used to be an afternoon one but for some unknown reason it was swapped for the LAX flight. The key to jetlag management is to start the move to your new time zone before you fly, whereas UA’s new timetable doesn’t permit that.

skycrab

I believe this happened when UA 935/923 (was 934) switched to 787-9, and the SFO route became 2 flights daily, year-round.

lhrsfo

I think you are right as to the timing, and I presume it was something to do with aircraft rotations. But I don't think that management cares much for customer convenience in this regard. UA competes with VS and BA on this route and it used to, IMHO, quite cleverly offer an early and a late flight, effectively straddling its competitors' timings. It has now lost that edge, offering one option that is way too early (and, from my casual observation seems to have lower load factors and lower yields) and one option that works well for the early departure, which again from casual observation always had lower load factors than the later flight which it has now dropped.

Having said all that, apropos the very early flight, it has the great advantage of arriving to an empty Immigration Hall in SFO.