No more direct SFO-TPE flights?
Jul 12, 2008, 8:20 am
#16
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I wouldn't call 50% extra fare a "bargain" for 5" more legroom, the little legrest, and slightly better food. I would call it okay.
Jul 12, 2008, 10:22 am
#17
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: TPE, SF, DC
Programs: UA Lifetime GS 4mm
Posts: 891
The hard part is finding "regular award space" on nrt-tpe leg. UA is dropping its nrt-tpe service, and sending traffic to ANA. I've had to book 2 separate times recently, and it took awhile. I've even had to book separate nrt-tpe leg as biz class seat on ANA --> when I got on, coach class was completely jam-packed for the 2.5hr flight, but biz class was 1/2 empty.
Jul 12, 2008, 11:13 am
#18
Join Date: Apr 2007
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Jul 12, 2008, 1:50 pm
#19
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TPE is no longer a destination with premium traffic. It makes perfect sense to have NRT as a transit point just like flights to BKK and SIN.
By consolidating all the passengers from North America into NRT, and have one single flight to TPE. For example, someone like me who lives in South Florida. Now I can fly MIA-ORD-NRT-TPE on UA. If SFO is the only choice to TPE, there is no way to get to SFO from South Florida on UA for me. It is too late for me to do MIA-ORD-SFO and catching SFO-TPE. Now I can even do MIA-IAD-NRT-TPE.
By consolidating all the passengers from North America into NRT, and have one single flight to TPE. For example, someone like me who lives in South Florida. Now I can fly MIA-ORD-NRT-TPE on UA. If SFO is the only choice to TPE, there is no way to get to SFO from South Florida on UA for me. It is too late for me to do MIA-ORD-SFO and catching SFO-TPE. Now I can even do MIA-IAD-NRT-TPE.
Jul 12, 2008, 5:54 pm
#20
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Jul 12, 2008, 5:56 pm
#21
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TBH, I haven't had much experience looking for XC or XF space on NRT-TPE, so I don't know the numbers for those, but during the 2-3 years I was flying that route, I think every flight I searched had XY9 NF9 NC9 at least a month out.
Jul 12, 2008, 7:07 pm
#22
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I was talking to my travel agent/UA Consolidator who has been a UA consolidator for about 15 years. She told me that Y has been pretty full due to large population of Taiwanese living in the US who travel frequently to the US; however, C and F have been a different story in recent years. It has been pretty frustrating for UA that premium traffic has been up and down and has never been consistent. This latest SFO-TPE direct flight is the third attempt in the past six years. For example, current SFO-TPE loads in the front cabins have been low, but more importantly cargo traffic has been down to keep the route profitable.
Jul 13, 2008, 3:03 am
#23
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: AUS
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 350
I don't know exactly how much UA sells out on these cabin but the last few times my parents traveled that route, the plane has been pretty full, even in business class. SWU has failed a couple of times, and no more op-ups. Previously when they travelled through NRT, lots of op-ups.
Jul 13, 2008, 3:24 am
#24
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I don't know exactly how much UA sells out on these cabin but the last few times my parents traveled that route, the plane has been pretty full, even in business class. SWU has failed a couple of times, and no more op-ups. Previously when they travelled through NRT, lots of op-ups.
Jul 13, 2008, 4:21 am
#25
Join Date: Dec 2005
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During its brief revival, TPE-SFO premium cabins seemed pretty full to me. Of course, I don't know who else was upgraded. TPE-NRT ought to be pretty easy to upgrade, in my opinion. Which is not necessarily the case for NRT to US cities.
Jul 13, 2008, 4:40 am
#26
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good to see loads are high based on the posts here, but one has to wonder why it is being dropped, and why the direct service can not be consistently maintained. Is UA making the mistake?
Jul 13, 2008, 4:53 am
#27
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 1,309
the sfo-tpe is full because...
...they massively oversell coach and op-up people to business and first. (that is, any business paid pax they upgrade to first, and they upgrade pax coach to business). Basically, there's little paid premium demand, but LOTS of demand for cheap coach. BR and CI, while great, offer CHEAP fares that depress yields for everybody, UA included. that' why the nonstops from the USA on UA, while popular, are NOT profitable and are being eliminated.
Jul 13, 2008, 8:29 am
#28
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I don't think that BR and CI are particularly cheap airlines, but they do offer better seating, food, and IFE than UA does.
Jul 13, 2008, 8:30 am
#29
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I'm not sure what your travel agent means? UA has definitely not reopened the SFO-TPE nonstop three times in six years. They had a "direct" via NGO, but that was effectively a connection. The connection time was long too (2-3 hours).
Jul 13, 2008, 11:13 am
#30
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 237
Last October, I purchased CI's LAX-TPE C class RT ticket for only $2,720. My TA told me BR is slightly higher than CI, and SQ's C class is over $5,000. Now, CI's business class climbs to $3,600. BR is still slightly higher than CI, and SQ is about $6,000.
If you buy C class at Taiwan, all CI/BR/SQ are between $3,600 and $4,000. CX and JL even provide lower C class fare (between $2,700 and $3,300) in Taiwan if you transfer through HKG/NRT.