A United Airlines Boeing 777-200 lands at San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, California.
Louis Nastro | Reuters
United Airlines is planning to grow its service to Australia and Recent Zealand later this yr, the carrier’s latest bet that travelers will proceed to book international trips.
The expansion to 66 weekly flights between the U.S. and the 2 countries amounts to a 40% increase in flights from last yr, the carrier said Tuesday. The schedule also equates to about 75% more seats to those countries than the identical season of 2019, United said.
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The brand new schedule includes nonstop flights between San Francisco and Christchurch, Recent Zealand, on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner starting Dec. 1, and from Los Angeles to Auckland, Recent Zealand, on a 787-9 on Oct. 28. United can also be increase service from each San Francisco and Los Angeles to Brisbane, Australia, and it’s using its largest plane to fly between San Francisco and Melbourne, Australia.
Airline executives have been upbeat about international travel demand and have been expanding their schedules to cater to the rebound.
Delta Air Lines last week forecast second-quarter results ahead of analysts’ estimates and highlighted particular strength for international trips.
“On international, we’re excited with the momentum we’re seeing and expect record revenues and profitability for the summer travel season,” Delta’s president, Glen Hauenstein, said Thursday on an earnings call.
The carrier is growing its international seats by 20% within the quarter ending in June and it has locked in about 75% of its bookings, he added.
United Airlines is scheduled to report first-quarter results after the market closes Tuesday and can provide one other demand forecast ahead of the height summer travel season.
