Sad news for LAX flyers as United Airlines does not plan to bring back transpacific service between Los Angeles and both Auckland and Brisbane next winter.
United Airlines Suspends Two South Pacific Routes From LAX
United has struggled to fill planes to the South Pacific, with flights to Auckland, New Zealand averaging a load factor of 68% and flights to Brisbane only 58%. While United will not pull out of either city, it will attempt to stop the bleeding by suspending both routes from Los Angeles and consolidating service from its other hub in California, San Francisco.
- United will remove service between Los Angeles (LAX) and Brisbane (BNE) between December 4, 2024 and March 27, 2025
- Flights between San Francisco (SFO) and Brisbane will increase from four times per week in the summer to daily service in the winter
- A larger aircraft (Boeing 777 instead of a 787) will be used on the SFO-BNE route
- United will remove service between Los Angeles and Auckland (AKL) for the winter season
- Daily flights between San Francisco and Auckland will continue year-round after increasing
from three flights per week to daily for the winter season between October 27, 2024 and March 27, 2025
- Daily flights between San Francisco and Auckland will continue year-round after increasing
In short, United will strengthen South Pacific service from SFO while reducing it from LAX.
LAX Struggles Are Not Unique To United Airlines
Los Angeles is a difficult market in which competition is fierce and no single carrier has a dominant market share. The story of starting and then suspending a route is a familiar one at LAX and not just for United, but for American Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
With intercontinental service only to Auckland, London, Sydney, and Tokyo, AA is just a shell of its former self at LAX. Delta has also struggled and recently eliminated its nonstop service to London and scrapped plans to resume nonstop service to Shanghai.
But United will cede LAX-AKL to American and Delta and unlike either network competitor, it has a close partnership with Air New Zealand with connectivity across New Zealand and to other destinations in the South Pacific. But the fact that American and Delta are also operating this route and load factors were poor helps to demonstrate why United decided the two aircraft allocated to this route could be better utilized elsewhere.
CONCLUSION
United will cut service to Auckland and Brisbane from Los Angeles, dealing a blow to LAX flyers (and what had been a very easy upgrade, hence the problem…). United’s struggles at LAX are a reminder of how difficult that market is and how overacted air service to the South Pacific currently is. As a consumer, I recommend you enjoy the cheap ticket prices while they last.
image: United Airlines
At what point is the CEO held responsible for failed strategies and money losing operations in the transpacific routes? Are domestic fares covering loses for management incompetence?
Oh please….UA has the largest wide body fleet of any US airline. It needs to put those planes somewhere. US-China routes are not going to recover to 2019 levels any time soon. They went after a market that gave them subsidies (BNE) and one that they have a partner JV (AKL). It was not illogical. It just didn’t generate profit.
Not surprising. There was simply too much capacity in the US-Australia and US-New Zealand markets to begin with over the recent Fall/Winter (Northern Hemisphere) schedule. Yields out of LAX are always difficult. I wouldn’t expect DL or AA to keep their upcoming BNE routes beyond one season either, or until subsidies expire.
Not the first time United has axed LAX-AKL. It flew the route previously, and cut it in the 2000s.
These routes were ridiculous to begin with.
As you noted, NZ is part of a joint venture with UA but UA has proven time and time again that it will add its own capacity and hurt the performance of itself and its partners before being content to serve a market through its JV partners and domestically, the big 3 are NOT comparably sized at LAX. DL is more than 10% larger than AA while UA is 15-20% smaller than DL depending on the month. DL is 15-18% larger than UA in NYC based on number of flights as well.
DL has done a masterful job of growing its presence in major coastal markets and is now focusing on rebuilding its core hubs.
UA is trying to hold onto its international position but has once again proven that it will lose money to do it. Its domestic expansion can’t happen because of Boeing delivery delays and Airbus’ inability to crank out more airplanes to offset Boeing’s problems.
AA has largely recognized domestic is its future but still hangs onto large TATL and TPAC networks that don’t make money.
It isn’t just low cost carriers that have failed strategies. Neither AA or UA have proven they have sustainably profitable strategies including market leadership in the top markets of the US.
Yay. Was waiting for this nonsense from the #1 Delta fan in the universe.
Timmy, DL axed PVG, LHR, and cut AKL to seasonal from LAX, and it also reduced SYD to 1o x week from 14. Your airline is failing at LAX too. Open your eyes, sweetheart.
No one cares about Delta Tim this article is about United. Shog off.
Tim, delta is the airline that is failing at LAX. PVG and LHR canceled, CDG reduced in the winter, AKL cut to winter seasonal, and SYD reduced in the winter. Talk about an unmitigated disaster, that’s what Delta is at LAX. And I can guarantee you Delta is still very unprofitable at LAX.
This also isn’t pullback for United at LAX. AKL/BNE were sub daily seasonal routes that operated for 3 months of the year. This winter a second daily LAX-HKG and daily LAX-PVG are starting. Trading two year round daily flights for sub daily winter seasonal isn’t pulling back.
Finally, when you talk about financials, have you looked at UA’s financials the past year? They are right there with DL at the top of the industry in profits. AA is lost and has no strategy, but UA has a winning strategy, that is going to lead them to overtaking DL as the most profitable airline. DL is running out of places to profitably put planes, UA is far from that.
You’re all missing the point. Delta doesn’t need LAX. DL operates in premium markets only. Nobody cares about LAX-LHR. They care about SLC-AMS. They care about MSP-CDG. I have it on good word that since Delta has basically dropped all flying to Australia, the Park Hyatt Sydney is going to move to Cat 4. If Delta doesn’t fly it, it isn’t premium. Get your certs ready, boys, and prepare for 14 hours on AA. Enjoy your ice cream sundae.
So United will still fly the LAX routes, just seasonally correct?
No, United will not fly at all from LAX to AKL and BNE, as it says here. These were seasonal routes, now they’re not returning.
Drag
Delta is also cutting back its LAX-AKL route from year round to seasonal because of low load factors. This was just announced a couple weeks ago.
Flying United out of LAX on international is like flying another airline. Consistently great crews, great boutique feel Polaris lounge.
Air New Zealand was short of long haul planes, a result of planes retirement during COVID-19. UA, as ANZ antitrust immunized alliance partner, came to the rescue by operating LAX-AKL during 2023-2024 winter busy season. This allow ANZ to maintain market share (i.e. 2 daily flights) and earn money by selling tickets of UA flights. Now that ANZ has partially resolve planes shortage through leasing multiple B777-300ER, UA’s LAX-AKL service is not longer needed.
I wonder if UA will fly to AKL from another hubs, e.g. DEN or IAH?
Agreed, let’s keep that to ourselves before the rest of the country figures it out and they turn LAX into a ORD.
Like others have said, DL is doing cuts too. And as one of my potential visits for my birthday, I looked at the fares for AKL: in economy, $700-1000 cheaper than TYO or ICN, and cabins are looking rather empty. Anecdotes are anecdotes, but maybe the demand just isn’t there, full stop?
Considering I’ve been on UAL to Australia gobs of times and never really cared if I connected in these cities I think it’s a wise move.
I go from East to West now- usually on Etihad but when I’m lucky on Emirates.
If I were to take UAL again they would at least have to equal QANTAS when it comes to service, food and comfort.
Can’t imagine that happening.
I should add I would never, ever consider Delta for any route either within or outside of the US. A loser airline IMO.
But I guess if you lived in Georgia and worked for them for thirty years plus you might think differently…..you might even devote what’s left of a sad life to praising them on the web.