United Airlines will not close its Boeing 787 pilot base at Los Angeles International Airport after all, a small reprieve in an otherwise highly uncertain time for many United pilots.
United Won’t Close 787 Pilot Base At LAX
In a memo to pilots seen by Live and Let’s Fly, pilots were informed of the change of course:
In response to a changing competitive environment in LAX, our International Planning team has decided to resume 787 service between LAX and SYD, initially at three times per week, starting in September. Against the broad backdrop of slumping travel demand, this is a small sprout of good news.
This means that the LAX 787 categories will not close in October as previously planned; we engaged with the ALPA SSC via the NPDM process in making this decision. However, due to the initial low frequency of LAX-SYD service, this will not generate much staffing activity. A few weeks ago, we canceled 20 captain and 35 first officer displacement awards out of LAX 787. Now, we will cancel an additional five captain and 15 first officer displacements out of LAX 787.
What is ALPA SSC via the NPDM process? ALPA is the Air Line Pilots Association, the pilot union representing United pilots. SSC is System Schedule Committee, which provides input to and assists the United’s crew planning department. NPDM is short for Notice of Proposed Decision Making.
With only Sydney and Tokyo Haneda on the schedule and not until September, there won’t be many pilot slots to fill at the moment. United has told me that the return of London, Melbourne, and Shanghai service is planned for the future, but is unwilling to comment on any specific timetable.
Give American Airlines Credit For This Base Closure Reversal
Note that “a changing competitive environment” is given as the reason behind the move, an allusion to American Airlines’ recent announcement that it would abandon the majority of its longhaul routes from LAX.
> Read More: American Airlines “Resets” International Schedule: Full List Of Route Cuts + New Routes
Asked about the opportunity for United them, Patrick Quayle, United’s Vice President for International Network and Alliances, said:
“As airlines continue to move through the current environment and make changes and adjustments to their network offerings, there may be opportunities for United. We remain committed to serving the Los Angeles market and we will continue to closely monitor demand and adjust our schedules as demand dictates.”
This decision to keep the 787 base open at lAX does seems like an opportunity inspired by the changing competitive environment.
> Read More: As American Retreats, Will Delta Or United Step Up At LAX?
CONCLUSION
While good news that United’s 787 base will not close at LAX as planned, United still faces an uphill battle as revenue remains depressed and cancellations are surging again in direct relation to COVID-19’s surge in states across the nation.
> Read More: United Closes LAX 787 Base: Is This The End Of Longhaul Flights, Hub Status?
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image: Eric Salard / Wikimedia Commons
Thanks Matt!
This is an excellence news. I may have more US-Melbourne travels in the future and this is definitely a welcoming development.
With Jet Blue moving its operation from Long Beach to LAX and expanding into transcon market out of EWR and AA retreating, I do hope UA also consider looking into its domestic routes to have a plan for both expansion and protecting its market. This is a good start.