United Airlines is gearing up for a big 2025 route announcement next week and speculation is already beginning even ahead of the teaser video. Will United restart service to Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City?
Will United Airlines Resume Flights To Bangkok Or Ho Chi Minh City?
Last week I wrote about the inclusion of the Petronas Towers in the final printed Hempishers magazine as a potential clue for a new long-haul route to Southeast Asia. That still may be a possible destination, but it is just as likely, if not more so, that another destination in Southeast Asia could be announced.
View From The Wing thinks it will be Bangkok (BKK). JonNYC is guessing Ho Chi Minh City (SGN).
Put me down for SFO-SGN
— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) September 29, 2024
Both are cities that United has served in the past…and both from Asia, not the USA.
> Read More: Remembering United’s Bangkok City Ticket Office
United still plans to serve Cebu from its former Tokyo Narita hub on a Boeing 737-800. I suppose it is possible it could start service to Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh City from Tokyo or even Guam. Maybe a Singapore – Guam flight? But that’s not what I am betting.
I’d lean toward Bangkok over Ho Chi Minh City because Vietnam Airlines already flies from San Francisco to Ho Chi Minh City and because, from all I have heard, Air Canada has enjoyed great success on its Vancouver to Bangkok service. Plus, I think United would like to boast it is the first and only US carrier to fly nonstop to Thailand.
As for the teaser video I mentioned above, for the last couple of years, United has offered a “teaser” with some clues (and red herrings) about the new routes the day before the public announcement. You can view 2023 here and 2022 here.
I hope we’ll get another one this year and look forward to making specific predictions based on it, but I do feel hopeful that based on the success of the new Manila route and the overcapacity in Australia and New Zealand, we will see another new long haul to Southeast Asia.
> Read More: United Airlines 777-300ER Business Class San Francisco – Manila
Flyertalk will be so happy w/ SFO-BKK. LOL
Osaka will host EXPO 2025 next year. UA may start a new route connecting KIX (an ANA hub) to either Chicago or Newark. Air Canada has a seasonal route YYZ-KIX this summer, and the route is likely very successful as ticket price has been extremely pricey all the time.
Buy a “Natural star” sapphire in a shop in Bangkok , and walk out an Artificially manufactured star sapphire .
Buy a “Genuine” name brand watch in a shop in Bangkok , and walk out with a counterfeit .
BKK is not gonna happen, for a variety of reasons.
One of which is Thailand’s longstanding failure to meet US DOT security standards – too often off-duty Thai police “generals” have been found to have loaded guns in their bags upon arrival in Japan on flights from BKK (in Japan they take security quite seriously and do a good job)…BTW, what police department actually needs “generals”? Thailand has a LOT of them!
UA has not reached out to me for my superior, expert analysis. So it’s not likely to happen.
When is the announcement and when is the cocktail party/reception?
On October 10th in New York.
Thailand is too prone to coups and other government instability. Vietnam’s government may call itself communist, but judging by the amount of economic growth and development that’s happened there over the past 30 years it’s arguably communist in name only. HCMC would be a much better choice than Bangkok. There’s buckets of money to be made in Vietnam, and very little chance of a military takeover deposing the ruling party.
Also buckets of rats and diseases .
Oh please…
Next you will talk about the cats and dogs in Springfield, OH.
It’s still Saigon to me and a lot of good men died in a worthless war to help those unappreciative slants.
It will most likely be Ho Chi Minh. This is because Apple is building three factories in Hanoi. Also, there is a code share with Vietnam Airlines. SFO-SGN then one connection to VN to HAN. Where ever Apple has offices, factories, campuses. United flies there for Apple. Apple is United’s biggest corporate customer.
Other than could also connect via BKK to Hanoi just as easy on TG keeping it Star A.
SFO-BKK seems like a good new route of UA and that would be my first guess. Thailand obviously has a ton of buzz as a travel destination but can be time consuming to get to from the USA.
SFO-KUL would be my second guess, as that would provide another well connected gateway into SE Asia and is a solid business destination.
As you stated, there already is service from SGN-SFO and I’m not sure how many nonstops that route will tolerate – so I am not as bullish on that one. But we shall see.
SQ’s LAX TO SIN and v.v. flights are thriving with majority passengers connecting on to India.
United’s LAX to KUL would be beneficial too.
You are a numb nut.
United would ALSO like to boast it is the first and only US carrier to fly nonstop to VIETNAM!
Duh.
How are u a lawyer by training??
Why do people have to call each other names and be nasty to one another? There are some interesting comments and perspectives that make good cases for both BKK and SGN. There is no right or wrong here. It’s great to see UAL upping its investment in SE Asia and even better to see new & additional opportunities to accumulate miles.