After United Airlines was chided for high fares to Guam in the aftermath of Typhoon Mawar, the carrier is pushing back, noting its humanitarian efforts and emphasizing that it is offering a “special fare” despite high demand to the US territory.
United Airlines Sends Humanitarian Flight To Guam, Caps Fares
Earlier this week we wrote about how James C. Moylan, the non-voting delegate to the US House of Representatives who represents Guam, penned a letter to United threatening a Congressional investigation for what he viewed as airfare that was too expensive.
> Read More: United Airlines Threatened With Congressional Intervention For High Guam Fares
We asked United to respond and received the following response:
We have taken steps to remove complicated itineraries to Guam that include other carriers from our website. Additionally, we continue to assist customers with flight changes for their travel to or from Guam. For travel to/from Guam, we have recently launched a special fare between Guam and the U.S. mainland, Hawaii, Japan, Philippines through June 27. Additionally, we have a travel waiver in place through June 5 for those who were scheduled to fly to or from one of the affected airports.
Our first humanitarian flight arrived in Guam on Sunday, our second flight arrived Tuesday, both carrying supplies for relief and reconstruction. We’re continuing to assess additional humanitarian flights and how we can best help our United family in Guam and the broader community. As of May 30, we have relaunched scheduled, commercial service, albeit on reduced schedule, and these flights to key cities like Tokyo, Manila, Saipan, and others to come online shortly will further assist with travel and shipping needs to/from Guam.
In looking at fares, United does seem to be capping or at least discounting fares to Guam. For example, a one-way ticket from Los Angeles to Guam via Honolulu departing in a few hours is $961 and books into unrestricted economy class (meaning it is fully refundable):
Meanwhile, an unrestricted ticket to Honolulu on the same first leg is nearly double the price:
Yes, distance and price do not necessarily correlate and airlines charge a premium for nonstop flights. However, Guam fares are often much higher and the point here is to represent that fares do appear to be capped.
United’s Humanitarian Efforts On Guam
In a separate note, United Airlines also shared about its humanitarian efforts on Guam in the wake of Typhoon Mawar. Earlier this week, a Boeing 777 made a humanitarian mission to deliver needed goods to Guam:
In the wake of Super Typhoon Mawar, today United Airlines launched its first humanitarian flight to Guam, a Boeing 777 from San Francisco, loaded with supplies from its disaster relief partners, including The American Red Cross. Aid in this first shipment includes cases of blood product, each blood donation has the potential to save more than one life; 480 clean up kits including work gloves, trash bags, collapsible mop, cleaning materials, etc.; and 5,760 comfort kits including hygiene products like soap, toothpaste, tooth brush, facial tissues, etc.
United, which has served Guam since 1968, has 800 employees on the island and has been “actively checking on their welfare, assessing damage at the airport, making plans to assist in the humanitarian response and working to provide access to and from the island.”
CONCLUSION
Despite Congressional uproar over high fares during a period of natural disaster and exceedingly high demand, it appears that United has not only capped fares, but is pouring in humanitarian relief to Guam.
image: United Airlines
Congress is great at telling others they are ripping off consumers awhile their own house is a mess and their spending is out of control.
Absolutely right, David. You hit the nail on the head.
Clearly United isn’t contributing enough money to the delegate from Guam. He shouldn’t be too expensive to buy off. Delta purchases members of Congress in Utah and it’s a lot more expensive there for sure.
True, as well…
It should be noted that Guam’s member of Congress actually votes. In committee, on the House floor during committee of the whole, and, like the members of Congress from the other four territories, can introduction legislation just like any other congressman.
I believe UA needs to add a direct flight from GUM to SFO and/or LAX. I know this has been said before and others have said there isn’t enough demand, but I think this illustrates their is enough demand.
The XLR would be the perfect plane for that flight
SFO and LAX would have to be configured to have a way for passengers to skip immigration and head straight to customs, and re-separate those functions that are now somewhat combined in every port of entry. At HNL there are no international arrivals in the late afternoon when the GUM flight arrives. LAX T7 should be easier to do this, but SFO Intl A/G, not so easy.
Open up certain domestic routes to international competition. GUM is a perfect example given its proximity to Japan and Korea.
To be fair, you should cite not just United position, but the representative letter too. I live on Guam and United always overcharged for their flights (read monopoly). Steven is 100% right, let other carriers fly to US mainland from Guam and United fares will miraculously drop….
I did a whole story on his letter which I linked to above.
This is problematic because one can certainly argue there is a national security issue to having foreign airlines fly domestic routes, especially if they’re the only carrier serving certain markets. This was the issue for me when Delta eliminated its intra-Pacific service despite, for example, having a local Guam-issued credit card and a fairly large base of elites and loyal customers in Palau, Saipan and Guam. Delta pulled out of the region after inking its deal with China Eastern. Of course, that deal with China Eastern has proved to be a bad decision since covid. U.S. airlines should promote U.S. interests. If there’s an argument for subsidies like essential air service, it’s subsidies to fly to American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Marianas, and the freely associated states in the Pacific like Micronesia.
I suppose that United’s virtue signaling on the heels of a disaster is nice enough but if they’re charging the ridiculous prices they are then maybe upgauging might be a reasonable compromise that would still allow them vast profits while gouging the residents of Guam a bit less.
United can brag about their “humanitarian” flights to Guam, but dig a little deeper and you can bet that someone paid dearly to charter that plane to carry toothbrushes, etc., to Guam. Could be the Red Cross, FEMA, or some other agency, but I’ll guarantee you United did not fly there for free. I’ve lived in this part of the world long enough to know that United Airlines does NOTHING without a dollar sign in front of it.