United announces new direct route between San Francisco and Christchurch, New Zealand

United Airlines South Pacific on Tuesday announced the biggest expansion of its network in the region, including the first non-stop flight between San Francisco and Christchurch, which will start on December 1, making it the only airline to connect the US and the South Island directly. New Zealand.

The airline will operate 66 weekly flights from the US to Australia and New Zealand next winter, up 40% from last year.

→ United will fly nonstop to 114 international cities this summer

The airline is adding new nonstop flights from Los Angeles to Brisbane and Auckland and increasing service to the region with daily flights from its San Francisco hub to Brisbane, twice-daily flights to Sydney and larger jets to Melbourne. Thanks to United’s relationships with Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia, passengers can enjoy easy one-stop connections from these cities to more than 50 destinations in the region.

“Last winter, United expanded its network and became the largest airline in the South Pacific. Now, this coming winter, we will expand even more,” said Patrick Quayle, senior vice president of global network planning and partnerships.