United Airlines plans its first nonstop flights to New Zealand

United Airlines has announced that it will become the first US-based airline to offer direct flights from California to New Zealand.

Airline announced in a press release This Tuesday is the “biggest expansion from continental America to the South Pacific.”

From December 1, it will be the only airline to offer direct flights to New ZealandThe company said in its statement.

“Our strong partnerships with Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia provide unrivaled connectivity, and combined with our historic expansion to five destinations in New Zealand and Australia, United is the clear choice for customer travel to the region,” United’s senior vice president Patrick Quayle wrote. Head of Global Network Planning and Alliances.

Including Australia, there are an estimated 66 flights per week to the region. United said it will operate nearly 40% more flights to the South Pacific in the winter of 2023-24. In the Northern Hemisphere than last year.

In addition to the Melbourne flights, United will use the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to carry passengers southbound. For Melbourne, 100 daily seats are available for each departure on the Boeing 777-300ER in October.

“Compared to winter 2019, United will offer 65% more seats to Melbourne,” the company added in its statement.

It must be remembered that airlines are struggling to recover from travel restrictions imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

For example, 2.4 million people have passed through airport security, according to United States Transportation Security Administration data. on MondayA 6.7% increase over the previous year, but down from 5.6% on the same date in 2019.

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