SFO to SYD / Very Few Pax
Nov 9, 2023, 12:24 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: South Coast NSW, Australia
Programs: UA and SQ; Hilton, Fairmont, Marriott, Rydges Priority
Posts: 290
SFO to SYD / Very Few Pax
UA 863 on 7th November.
Lightest pax load I can remember and I’ve been flying that route for 25 years.
Lucky to be 100 pax total on the 777-300ER
Main reason it seems was a flight 3 hours earlier on the same route.
Can’t be a sustainable schedule you would think unless UA are happy just filling up the pointy end.
Lightest pax load I can remember and I’ve been flying that route for 25 years.
Lucky to be 100 pax total on the 777-300ER
Main reason it seems was a flight 3 hours earlier on the same route.
Can’t be a sustainable schedule you would think unless UA are happy just filling up the pointy end.
Nov 9, 2023, 2:16 am
#2
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Los Angeles, California
Programs: United, American, Delta, Hyatt, Hilton, Hertz, Marriott
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UA 863 on 7th November.
Lightest pax load I can remember and I’ve been flying that route for 25 years.
Lucky to be 100 pax total on the 777-300ER
Main reason it seems was a flight 3 hours earlier on the same route.
Can’t be a sustainable schedule you would think unless UA are happy just filling up the pointy end.
Lightest pax load I can remember and I’ve been flying that route for 25 years.
Lucky to be 100 pax total on the 777-300ER
Main reason it seems was a flight 3 hours earlier on the same route.
Can’t be a sustainable schedule you would think unless UA are happy just filling up the pointy end.
Nov 9, 2023, 2:42 am
#3
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: SQ, QF, UA, CO, DL
Posts: 2,888
UA 863 on 7th November.
Lightest pax load I can remember and I’ve been flying that route for 25 years.
Lucky to be 100 pax total on the 777-300ER
Main reason it seems was a flight 3 hours earlier on the same route.
Can’t be a sustainable schedule you would think unless UA are happy just filling up the pointy end.
Lightest pax load I can remember and I’ve been flying that route for 25 years.
Lucky to be 100 pax total on the 777-300ER
Main reason it seems was a flight 3 hours earlier on the same route.
Can’t be a sustainable schedule you would think unless UA are happy just filling up the pointy end.
I am hoping the craziness we saw through August is coming to an end but don't want things going over a cliff, either.
Nov 9, 2023, 6:37 am
#5
Join Date: Oct 2018
Programs: American Life Time 2 Million Mile Platinum
Posts: 369
Article I saw yesterday said that UPS was down 9% for the first 8 months of the year. I mention this just to say that belly freight may not save United on the Sydney route if the cabin is sparsely filled.
Nov 9, 2023, 6:51 am
#6
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Virginia, USA
Posts: 4,511
Lots of award availability on the various Australia/NZ routes through March if you’re flexible. Looks like UA and other carriers over estimated the market for 15 hour flights in a metal tube. Of course, the end of post-covid “revenge travel” and economic issues play a large part in the slowdown.
Nov 9, 2023, 7:45 am
#7
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: CO hublette
Programs: UA AU MM,HH Diamond,Hyatt Globalist , Marriott Gold
Posts: 2,281
Nov 9, 2023, 9:03 am
#9
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: SFO
Posts: 3,942
UA 863 on 7th November.
Lightest pax load I can remember and I’ve been flying that route for 25 years.
Lucky to be 100 pax total on the 777-300ER
Main reason it seems was a flight 3 hours earlier on the same route.
Can’t be a sustainable schedule you would think unless UA are happy just filling up the pointy end.
Lightest pax load I can remember and I’ve been flying that route for 25 years.
Lucky to be 100 pax total on the 777-300ER
Main reason it seems was a flight 3 hours earlier on the same route.
Can’t be a sustainable schedule you would think unless UA are happy just filling up the pointy end.
Nov 9, 2023, 9:08 am
#10
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: SAN
Programs: 1K (since 2008), *G (since 1990), 1MM
Posts: 3,219
I am on one of the SFO-SYD flights, the later one, in December and both of the flights look sparsely filled. Already have the upgrade for the return flight.
I use to catch the LAX-SYD flight but it has a fuller load.
I personally like the later arriving flight (easier to adjust to the jetlag) and prefer the later flight when I return to avoid the commuters on the morning trains as i make my way to the airport so if they get rid of a flight hope it is the earlier flights on the SFO-SYD-SFO routes
I use to catch the LAX-SYD flight but it has a fuller load.
I personally like the later arriving flight (easier to adjust to the jetlag) and prefer the later flight when I return to avoid the commuters on the morning trains as i make my way to the airport so if they get rid of a flight hope it is the earlier flights on the SFO-SYD-SFO routes
Nov 9, 2023, 9:16 am
#11
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Nov 9, 2023, 9:19 am
#12
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Location: Denver, CO
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I wonder if UA is pricing cargo more competitively. I suppose the added bonus of passenger jets is that you can actually load humans who will pay money to be on the same flight as the cargo.
Nov 9, 2023, 9:50 am
#14
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,333
Not sure why the USA airlines are doubling down on Oceania right now when airfare to Asia is still absurdly high and the Chinese airlines have still not resumed their TPAC flights? The LAX-AKL route wars make no sense at all to me. UA, DL, and AA all have direct flights to AKL, and they are all currently slashing fares to compete (sub $700, occasionally below $600 RT). Meanwhile, NZ is still charging 3x as much for the same route.
Nov 9, 2023, 10:23 am
#15
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My upgrade did not clear to PP or Polaris on UA839, LAX-SYD, a week ago (so I canceled and flew QF instead 
). SFO flights also full. Could have done SFO-BNE, but did not have the time for the extra stop. I think with SFO-CHC and LAX-AKL/BNE, upgrades are going to become easier and there probably are too many seats. But you don't know until you try, right?
). SFO flights also full. Could have done SFO-BNE, but did not have the time for the extra stop. I think with SFO-CHC and LAX-AKL/BNE, upgrades are going to become easier and there probably are too many seats. But you don't know until you try, right?