UA851 ORD-PEK seatmap today (Jan 11. 2019)
Jan 11, 2019, 3:06 pm
#1
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UA851 ORD-PEK seatmap today (Jan 11. 2019)
Jan 11. 2019
Looks pretty light to me. Is this partly from the current US China trade war?
Looks pretty light to me. Is this partly from the current US China trade war?
Last edited by poohhead80; Jan 11, 2019 at 3:09 pm Reason: adding date on the title
Jan 11, 2019, 6:31 pm
#3
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Jan 12, 2019, 12:42 am
#4
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I have to imagine demand has been light on that route for some time. ORD-PEK-XXX in J has been deeply discounted (relative to all other Asian gateways) for a year and a half or two now.
Jan 12, 2019, 1:13 am
#5
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Jan 12, 2019, 4:57 am
#6
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It is premature to draw conclusion on one single flight.
The other three Ex-US to PEK flights (EWR, SFO and IAD) on Jan 11 had better loads.
ORD is a tougher market no doubt. Some do avoid connecting through ORD during winter months. I am one of them.
My IAD-PEK last week and this week’s EWR-PEK flights were completely full. My next weekend’s IAD-PEK flight is currently at 80%, and my end of month PEK-EWR (Tuesday) flight is currently at 75% based on seat maps.
The other three Ex-US to PEK flights (EWR, SFO and IAD) on Jan 11 had better loads.
ORD is a tougher market no doubt. Some do avoid connecting through ORD during winter months. I am one of them.
My IAD-PEK last week and this week’s EWR-PEK flights were completely full. My next weekend’s IAD-PEK flight is currently at 80%, and my end of month PEK-EWR (Tuesday) flight is currently at 75% based on seat maps.
Jan 12, 2019, 9:25 am
#8
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Outside of Chicago's business interests, ORD is a huge market for student/academic/university traffic. But 2nd week into January I guess you won't find a lot of traffic going INTO China.
International agreements create inefficiency where airlines can't just cancel a flight on quiet days. Slot controlled airports (e.g. PEK, PVG, LHR) exacerbate this inefficiency, and often create cheap fares.
International agreements create inefficiency where airlines can't just cancel a flight on quiet days. Slot controlled airports (e.g. PEK, PVG, LHR) exacerbate this inefficiency, and often create cheap fares.
Jan 12, 2019, 10:09 am
#11
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But based on historical travel patterns, the majority opt to maximize time with family at home / get a full day on Friday in the home office and prefer the Saturday departure to Asia.
I know one flight doesn't make a trend but these load factors to mainland China ex-ORD would seem to explain why AA dropped their flights.
I know one flight doesn't make a trend but these load factors to mainland China ex-ORD would seem to explain why AA dropped their flights.
Jan 12, 2019, 10:13 am
#12
Join Date: May 2010
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Sunday PEK arrival means [slightly] less traffic/traffic-jams in Beijing on the 6th Ring Road after arrival, and my 2hr drive to airport States-side on a Saturday means far fewer commuters and no school bus hold-ups.
I've found ORD-PEK, EWR-PEK and SFO-PEK fluctuate greatly depending on time-of-year. Once had a complete row in J to myself, other times it's overbooked. All-in-all I'd say even ORD-PEK is lucrative to UA, despite the occasional slump.
Jan 13, 2019, 12:27 pm
#14
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For what it’s worth, i flew the return leg (UA 850) departing PEK on the12th, and it was similarly empty in economy and even some empty seats up front. (No wonder my GPU cleared several days ahead of time, unlike my SFO->PVG the week before which only cleared a few minutes before boarding). Even got an old first class seat (1C) in this legacy config - SCORE! 1A flew empty which struck me as especially odd...I assime no one in the center of the 2-4-2 rows knew to look for rows 1-2.
Jan 13, 2019, 12:33 pm
#15
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For what it’s worth, i flew the return leg (UA 850) departing PEK on the12th, and it was similarly empty in economy and even some empty seats up front. (No wonder my GPU cleared several days ahead of time, unlike my SFO->PVG the week before which only cleared a few minutes before boarding). Even got an old first class seat (1C) in this legacy config - SCORE! 1A flew empty which struck me as especially odd...I assime no one in the center of the 2-4-2 rows knew to look for rows 1-2.
You have to be GS or 1K to be able to reserve seats in Rows 1 and 2.
Last edited by StuckinITH; Jan 13, 2019 at 1:06 pm Reason: Added comment